


and the little children

by kijikun



Series: The Village [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, F/F, F/M, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, Kid Fic, M/M, Memory Alteration, Mind Control, Minor Violence, Nooks, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Post-Sburb/Sgrub, Tentabulges, Xeno, de-aged beta kids, de-aged post scratch trolls
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-11
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2017-11-21 15:11:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 32,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/599191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kijikun/pseuds/kijikun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The 'new start' after the game isn't what anyone expected or wanted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: Universe-c

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: universe-c

Patrolling the new village is an important job, and Cronus knows he should be proud Meenah trusted the night shift to him. Even with the moon the nights are dark on this new world - darker than on Beforus even. The days are manageable and the trolls have found their eyes adjusting quickly.

The world is only new to them. They find leftovers of a previous society all the time, including the houses they live in. Meenah is a stickler for patrols. She worries that whoever left this village will come back in the dark of night. Cronus thinks she worries too much, but he guesses someone needs to worry.

Cronus would rather be in bed with his new matesprit on a cold evening like this instead of patrolling. The lake is icy and Cronus is used to much warmer waters.

He misses the warm oceans he grew up in. How bright it always seemed even in the depths. The feel of salt on his skin - he misses it more now that he's alive again. The lake water just doesn't feel the same on his gills. It's dark and unwelcoming in ways Beforus' ocean never was.

He drops his wet things in the front entry of the hive he and Kankri have claimed. He changes into the dry things that Kankri left out. Barefoot, he pads through the quiet, dark house to his respiteblock.

He's looking forward to kissing Kankri long and hard and rubbing his cold face on Kankri's warm skin. What he finds is a bed full of kids.

Cronus should be annoyed that the bed is crowded with kids when he'd had some serious making out plans for Kankri. But one look at Karkat's tear stained face and the way Eridan clutches his stuffed sea horse and Cronus doesn't care about not getting lucky. Karkat is asleep in a ball by Kankri's side, with Eridan on the other side of Kankri. Kankri is asleep with a book of what looks like fairy tales - maybe borrowed from Rufioh - on his chest.

Cronus’ chest aches.

He thought he’d known what pity felt like. He didn't know anything.

Nothing at all.

He sits down on his side of bed and just watches the three sleep for a while. The shifting of the bed stirs Kankri awake and red eyes blink open. "Cronus?"

"Yeah, babe," Cronus says softly not wanting to wake either little one. "Nightmares again?"

Kankri nods shifting slightly, but carefully. "Karkat woke screaming, which triggered Eridan. I thought reading to them would help calm them."

Cronus reaches out and carefully smoothes down Eridan's hair. He wakes in the night sometimes crying that this stomach hurts, sometimes crying that he didn't mean to kill them and he's so sorry. Karkat wakes screaming some nights, crying others, always too upset to make it known why he's so upset. It makes Cronus hate the game a little more, because why would it leave them with latent memories like that? They aren't even three sweeps old yet, they don't need this crap in their heads.

They don't remember anything much during waking hours. Karkat is shy though, clinging to Kankri's leg as he tries to do his duties and refusing to be left alone with any adult but Cronus or Porrim And sometimes not even Cronus. Eridan likes to trail after Cronus or play with little Feferi, all the time clutching his stuffed sea horse toy.

Eridan at least lets other children play with him or near him. Karkat only really plays with the human children and Gamzee. Kankri thinks its some sort of memory of fearing being culled for his blood color. Cronus thinks its because while Beforus had issues, _Alternia_ was fucked up.

"Looks like it did the trick," Cronus says after far too long a silence.

Kankri's catches his hand and twines their fingers together. "It was a suggestion Roxy made. It apparently helps with young Rose."

Cronus thinks maybe he should pay better attention at meetings when its not about fishing and patrol. "Human kids having problems too?"

He feels sorry for the older humans, only seven sweeps and having to play at being lusui.

Kankri nods. "All the children are having nightmares on and off." He pauses. "I don't know about Gamzee and Nepeta. Kurloz and Meulin don't comment about their charges when they do come to meetings."

"I think Kurloz, Meulin, and Damara are making preparations to leave the village," Cronus mentions softly. He's seen Kurloz at the far edge of the lake sometimes, others times in the woods while he on patrol - just standing and watching the sky or something far off in the distance or in his own fucked up head. It creeps Cronus the fuck out.

"I'm very thankful Damara had no interest in Aradia." Kankri squeezes Cronus' fingers, fear in his eyes. "We cannot allow Kurloz to leave the village with the children."

Cronus nods in agreement. He never liked handing over any of the children to followers - even former - of Lord English, but he'd been overruled. "No, vwe can't. But nothing can be done tonight."

"I know," Kankri says with a soft sigh.

Cronus climbs into the bed fully and lays down, careful not to disturb the children. Eridan turns in his sleep and burrows up against Cronus in an adorably clingy way.

Kankri flicks off the oil lamp. The only light is the moon, casting shadows across the room. "Pity you," Kankri whispers, like it's a secret.

"Pity you right back," Cronus whispers in the dark and means every word of it.

***

Karkat remembers that he didn't always live with Kankri and Cronus. He remembers his lusus. He remembers that adults were supposed to be something to avoid. He's just not sure why. Just like he's not sure why Eridan lives with them - something to do with Cronus. It confuses him, just like a lot of things confuse him.

It makes him scared. It makes him want to hide in the hive or behind Kankri's legs.

Kankri is nice. He reads to Karkat and plays games with him. He keeps Karkat safe from all the other adults. They have the same blood. Karkat thinks that’s important.

Cronus can be nice too and he makes Kankri smile, big wide happy smiles. So Cronus is okay as adults go. He can't be a bad adult if Kankri likes him.

Eridan is playing a game of tag with Feferi and Sollux, while Karkat stays close to Kankri. Kankri is watching them all play while Porrim does something. Porrim teaches the others lessons - Karkat only goes to them when Kankri stay around. And Kankri is here now, so Karkat plays with his toy.

Gamzee isn't there. Maybe Karkat would play with him if he was. Or one of the funny looking children Kankri calls 'humans'. He likes the dark haired twins, even though they sometimes play rough.

They have blood like him. He knows because John scraped his knee and it was red. Karkat got so scared then and clung to John. He doesn't know why, it's just he thought something bad would happen to him. That the adults would do something bad.

But they didn't. The human adult, Jane, didn't seem upset at all that John's blood was red. Maybe humans are different.

He frowns and clutches his toy that reminds him of his lusus. "Kankri?"

Kankri looks down and smiles. "Yes, little one?"

"Our blood is wrong, isn't it?" he whispers.

Kankri's eyes go wide. Karkat scoots closer and hides his face in Kankri's sweater.

"There's nothing wrong with our blood, Karkat. Nothing at all. Why do you ask?" Kankri asks. He strokes Karkat's hair. "Has someone said something to you? "

Karkat shakes his head. "I just know."

Kankri's hands shake just a little. Is Kankri scared too? "There is nothing at all wrong with our blood," Kankri tells him again. "Your blood is just as good as anyone else’s. _You_ are just as good as anyone else. And if anyone tries to tell you otherwise you tell me or Cronus right away. Do you understand?"

Karkat nods into Kankri's soft red sweater.

Kankri paps his back comfortingly. "The humans have blood like us," Kankri tells him. "No one treats them differently, now do they?"

Karkat hesitates then shakes his head. They don't treat the humans bad different.

They sits together quietly, Karkat still hiding his face. He can hear the other children playing.

"Do you want to go play with the other children?" Kankri asks gently.

"Gamzee isn't here," Karkat says, his voice muffled.

"I know," Kankri says, patting his back more. "But there are other children to play with. I thought you liked Sollux. Or you could play with Tavros? He's building sandcastles."

Karkat clings to Kankri's side and shakes his head.

"Little one, they're all your friends. You know that, don't you?"

Kankri sounds distressed. Karkat hopes he hasn't done something wrong. He doesn't shake his head or nod it, he just holds on to Kankri.

Kankri goes quiet again.

A little while later there's a tug on his sleeve. He looks up and sees Terezi holding the things the human children call crayons and some paper. "Draw with me Karkat!" she orders cheerfully.

He looks up questioningly at Kankri, who smiles at him. "I'll be right here," Kankri assures him.

Karkat takes the offered piece of paper. Terezi isn't Gamzee, but he think he likes her. Just not the same as Gamzee. It's all confusing in his head, but he think he likes coloring with her. Even if she's blind and her pictures don't make much sense.

He draws a picture of the hive he used to live in.

***

The children are napping in the hive they use as a makeshift school, Karkat with his head in Kankri's lap. So far there have been no nightmares from the little ones, which makes this a good day.

"He remembers enough to be afraid," he tells Porrim. "He's afraid all the time, and I don't know how to change that."

Porrim folds her hands in her lap. "The best you can do is show him that there is no reason to be scared or ashamed," she suggests gently. She's perhaps the only troll that knows how he feels sometimes about his candy red blood.

"We try," Kankri sighs. "It seems to have little effect."

"It's only been a few months," Porrim points out. "It's been an adjustment for us all. I think its been easier in some ways for our young than for the humans."

"And harder in others," Kankri responds, remembering the fear some of the troll children showed towards all adults in general. "I don't understand why the game did not just make them wrigglers again instead of letting them retain memories that trouble some of them so."

Porrim shakes her head. "Things would be much harder if we had actual grubs on our hands. We are lucky that so much was left behind." She pauses. "It is, though, a mystery to me why the game decided to make them all young again and placed us on a world that is not new."

Karkat whimpers and starts to twist in his sleep. Kankri hurriedly paps his back and shooshes him until he settles back down. "Maybe because technically most of us lost our game sessions."

"Perhaps," Porrim says, looking thoughtful. She looks around at the sleeping children. "On a more pressing and worrying note, did you notice Gamzee and Nepeta are missing again today?"

Kankri nods. "Karkat was upset Gamzee wasn't here to play with."

"They were moirails, it's to be expected," she points out. She sighs. "I trust we would know if Kurloz and Damara had persuaded Meulin to leave the village already?"

"I saw her earlier, with Gamzee and Nepeta in tow, signing to Horuss," Kankri assures her. "I tried not to eavesdrop as it were on the conversation."

Porrim frowns then nods. "I keep hoping she will see sense about Kurloz."

"I unfortunately doubt it," Kankri sighs. "Pity is blind as they say."

Porrim is a wonderful moirail and doesn't point out that such an expression perhaps applies to his relationship with Cronus.

***

Cronus is well aware that Meenah doesn't need back up just to visit the humans’ section of the village, but he's weirdly protective of her these days. Or maybe it's more worry that she'll fall back into old habits, he's not sure. She'd taken to the roll of raising little Feferi better than anyone thought and seemed truly invested in making sure things run smoothly.

Cronus thinks her potential red relationship with Aranea has a lot to do with it. Or maybe she just wants her little heiress to have something to inherit. He doesn't know. All he really cares about these days is making sure his small family is safe and with enough to eat.

Though he's still a bit in shock that Kankri is finally his.

"You really think they'd up and leave with the kids in tow?" Meenah asks.

He knows she's not talking about the humans, who haven't come to the main part of the village with their kids for two days. Which is why they're going to check on them.

"Kankri agrees vwith me. And he's been pretty spot on vwith some of this stuff so I think vwe should take his vworry seriously," Cronus tells her. " 'sides what better vway to indoctrinate the wrigglers they got their clawvs into already."

"Mituna won't hear anything bad said about his moirail," Meenah points out. "And Latula won't want Mituna upset. So there's two votes against just taking the kids from them."

Cronus nods in sad agreement. "Horuss might side vwith Meulin. She's an alright kitten by herself, but vwe both know she vwon't leave Kurloz."

Meenah presses her lips together into a thin angry line.

"Shell, you're right," she says. "What a load of carp."

"Kankri might have an idea. Or Rufioh could talk to the little ones. If they don't vwant to stay with Kurloz and Meulin, the others might agree," Cronus suggests. Rufioh has turned out to be great with the kids - both troll and human. He could see Horuss easily talking Rufioh into taking in Nepeta too, but what to do with Gamzee?

But no sense getting ahead of himself.

"You'd think they'd be less all up English's ass with the guy being dead," Meenah mutters. "But good idea, Cro-fins. You talk to the insufferable and I'll talk to wings."

Cronus rolls his eyes. "I vwish you vwouldn't call him that."

Meenah shrugs. "Nah, wings don't mind."

"I meant Kankri," Cronus says half under his breath.

Meenah laughs and shoves his playfully. "Man, someone finally gives you the time of night and it would be him. Now you'll all protective of him. So cute," she teases.

Cronus knows she's not trying to be mean, but he wishes she'd learn tact. Not that he has much himself. No wonder they’re friends. "He's been trying not to lecture quite as much," he can't help but defend.

She rolls her pretty fuchsia eyes. "Yeah, guess he's been busy with little shouty on his heels." Her face goes sad for a moment, her lips curving downwards. "How is little shouty anyways?"

"Still vwakes up at least once a night," Cronus tells her. "Even Eridan is starting to sleep through most nights."

"Fef sleeps just fine so long as she has her stuffed fishy. Thank gog Porrim sewed that and not her lusus," Meenah says with a shudder of horror. She pauses what she was going to say as Dirk comes out from one of the hives to meet them.

The humans’ hives are about a thirty minute walk around the lake. Cronus thinks it would be better if the two groups lived together, if only to make patrols easier and more thorough. The humans so far seem content at the distance.

"Mennah, Cronus," Dirk greets them. He smiles but he looks tired.

"Everything okay up here?" Meenah asks, straight to the point.

Dirk folds his arms over his chest. "Everything okay down there?" he counters.

Jane comes out from one of the hives, walking at a brisk pace towards them.

Cronus rolls his eyes. "Porrim was worried that the kids didn't come to school or whatever."

"And you missed a meeting," Meenah says petulantly.

"Oh for goodness sake, just tell them," Jane says. "The kids are sick, flu we think. We didn't want to chance it spreading to your kids."

Meenah relaxes. It wouldn't be noticeable to most, but he's known her a long time. "Do you need help? I am a life player," she points out.

Cronus is a little surprised at her willingness to help. But she's been surprising him a lot of late.

Dirk shakes his head. "We've got a handle on things."

Cronus clears his throat. "If you need extra supplies or help with bringing up water from the lake, just ask," he says. "And if you can make the next meeting it would be helpful."

Jane raises an eyebrow. "Why?"

Meenah rolls her shoulders. "We think Kurloz and Meulin might abscond shortly. With little ones in tow. I don't think I need to explain why that's an issue."

Dirk hums. "I see," he says simply.

Jane frowns.

The rest of the visit is spent with Jane giving him a list of supplies - mostly fish - they need and Meenah and Dirk discussing the upcoming meeting. Boring, but necessary things. But, hey, Cronus gets to feel at least somewhat important in the grand scheme of things.

It's a welcome change from eons of being not needed by anyone.


	2. Chapter 2

Kankri is half asleep laying draped over Cronus chest. He's sweaty, sticky, and sore, but content. Cronus' hand moves up and down his back in a slow soothing motion.

"I'll be out in the vwater most of tomorrowv," Cronus says softly.

Kankri nods against Cronus' chest. "Eridan will wish to go with you."

Cronus chuckles fondly. "Maybe for a little vwhile. It’ll be good learning for him."

Closing his eyes, Kankri nods again. "Just remember how little he is."

"I vwill," Cronus promises. Then sighs. "Talked to Meenah about the Clown problem."

Kankri tries not to little the worry show in his body. "Oh?"

"She agrees. Can't let them take the little ones," Cronus says firmly. "Got a plan in my head that Horuss and Rufioh can take little Nepeta. But vwhat about Gamzee? Vwho'll take that poor messed up grub?"

"We can," Kankri says, spreading his fingers across Cronus' skin.

Cronus is quiet for longer than is comfortable for Kankri.

"Vwe could," he says hesitantly. "Kan, do you think -- I mean I'm not the most liked guy in the place. And Gamzee needs someone with their head on straight. Are you sure -"

Kankri puts his fingers over Cronus' mouth. "It triggers me to hear you talk about yourself in such a way," he says firmly. "You might not be liked by everyone but you've earned respect. Without your and Meenah's fishing we'd starve."

"That's not true. Meulin hunts --"

"Not enough to feed us all - and yes I'm counting the humans. Even the older ones are no more than children," Kankri shakes his head. "And Gamzee already trusts us because of Karkat. Who else is there to take him?"

Cronus kisses Kankri between the horns. "You've got a point, babe, about Gamzee. You sure you're up to it? I know you'll be vwith them the most."

Kankri isn't sure if he is, but someone needs to be. And if not them then, as he said to Cronus, who?

"I don't think it matters if I'm 'up' to it," Kankri says then leans up to kiss Cronus.

Cronus bites his bottom lip playfully. "You're alvways up for it," he teases, pulling Kankri on top of him.

Kankri rolls his eyes. "That isn't what I meant."

"Saying you don't vwant a second round?" Cronus asks wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

It's hard to resist him, especially with their groins pressed together and his bulge stroking Kankri's. "I will let you convince me," Kankri allows.

Cronus grins widely and rolls Kankri onto his back. "My pleasure."

Cronus proceeds to kiss Kankri until all he's almost begging for Cronus' bulge in him again.

***

Jane tucks John in again, feeling more than a little frazzled and stressed. He woke coughing and calling for his dad. Jane can't stand it sometimes. It makes her want her own dad so bad it hurts.

This new world isn't anything she wants. She doesn't want to play mom to a little boy who wants his dad. She certainly doesn't want to be living under the same roof as her old crush and his boyfriend - but splitting up Jade and John seemed cruel when they first started picking houses.

She frankly also wishes they were closer to the trolls, but Dirk is paranoid as anything. He wants a 'buffer' between them. She thinks it's ridiculous to put buffer between them and the people helping them survive.

Jane walks to the main room and finds Dirk and Jake there. Their heads are bent close and they whisper argue with each other. She can tell its arguing by the way Jake's mouth keeps twisting.

She flops down in one of the chairs - and yeah, living in what she's sure if a dead person's house is kind of creepy. Everything in the village looks like the people just disappeared. She's pretty sure they're dead. Jake suggested maybe there's a dragon in the mountains.

Jane goes back and forth between thinking its silly and thinking maybe he's right.

"We need to move to the other village before winter," she says without much preamble.

Dirk looks up, frowning. "What are you two teaming up on me?"

Jake huffs. "I'm only saying that we need to consider the advantages," he says. He's mostly dropped his weird antiquated sayings and sounds more like a real boy and not something out of adventure novel.

"We're fine here," Dirk argues.

Jane's not sure why there's a village on each side of the lake. She's pretty sure she doesn't care either. "Dirk, we have no idea what we're doing out here. The kids are sick and if Cronus and Meenah hadn't walked up here what would be feeding them tomorrow?"

Both boys are quiet.

"Jake can only bring in so much game, and we really really have no idea how to raise kids," her voice might get a little wobbly. "We could have help, instead of hiding out here."

"They don't know anything about raising kids either," Dirk argues. "We'll --"

Jake cuts him off. "Jane's right. Plus this isn't just about the children," he points out. "It's about the fact we might all be able to take care of ourselves individually, we don't know how to do some of the vital things to keep _all_ of us alive. Hunting for one isn't the same as hunting for ten."

Dirk runs a hand through his hair, eyes unreadable through his shades. "I just don't trust them!" he finally says. "And I don't like our group having to be in each others pockets let alone with a group that couldn't even get anywhere in their session!"

Jake shushes him. "You'll wake the children."

Jane rolls her eyes. "We could share resources. We'd more access to more food," she points out. "And I'm pretty sure they could use our help just as much as we could use theirs."

Jake nods in agreement. "If the children weren't, well; children we'd all be better off. Perhaps we could live separately, but that isn't the case."

"Why did the game do this to us?" Jane sighs. "This isn't even a new world. Why not just put us back on Earth or someplace completely new and have all of us the correct ages. Not this -- bullshit!"

Dirk pinches his nose for a moment. "To teach us something," he mutters.

Jane and Jake stare at him. He shrugs.

"The game seems all about teaching us shit about ourselves. This is just more of it. I'm just sick of playing," he says.

Jane nods. "So am I, but we can’t stop trying our best."

"She's right, Dirk," Jake says and squeezes Dirk's hand. "And as I was saying before, winter will be much harder without the trolls’ help.

"At least we'd have Porrim to watch the kids," Jane mentions. "We can get things done that way. If it snows we might not be able to get the kids to Porrim and they're too young to run around alone."

Dirk holds his hands up. "Alright, alright. We'll have a meeting or something tomorrow so Roxy and Calliope can weigh in," he says. "Then we'll talk to the trolls."

Jane smiles, pleased. "Good. Then lets all get some sleep before one of the kids wakes up again."

As if on cue, there's crying from Dave and Robin's room.

Dirk gets to his feet. "I've got it," he says and strides towards the room.

Jane watches him go, wondering when he got so tall. Or when he started looking that good in shorts.

***

Cronus wishes Kankri didn't have to leave so early that morning, but Latula had come by in the early hours asking for his help with Terezi. Seems she'd woken in the night and wouldn't stop crying. Latula thought it was something Seer-related and hoped Kankri could help.

And of course Kankri just jumped at the chance to help her. He couldn't move fast enough, Cronus think bitterly. Fucking hivewrecker - no, no that's not fair.

He's trying to be less of a douche - he really is. And that means not blaming others for problems. So its not Latula's fault Kankri still hangs upon her every word like an immature woofbeast. Mostly she seems oblivious to it. At least, he hopes she is.

Fuck, okay, he resents the shit out of her and she probably knows all about Kankri's little flush crush.

Kankri went to help Terezi, he reminds himself firmly. He went for a little blind girl that gets visions, not for Latula.

"Cronus, Karkat is playing with his food," Eridan tattles.

Cronus bites back a groan and turns around from the lunches he's making up. "Eri, don't tattle," he says. "And Karkat eat your breakfast don't play with it."

Karkat shrinks in his chair and mumbles something under his breath. Eridan looks contrite. Cronus really isn't in the mood for the kids’ antics this morning. He knows Eridan just wants attention and that Karkat is probably just feeling a bit abandoned with Kankri gone. The kids got a lot going on in their little heads, Cronus just doesn't have the energy to deal at the moment.

"Karkat says he hates fish," Eridan says, looking at Karkat like he's crazy.

Karkat looks like he's trying to make himself smaller in his seat at the low table.

"Well that's what we have," Cronus says, wishing there was something else.The landdweller children were used to more variety. There's the mushed up wild oats Rufioh devised, but they have so little of it. "And Eridan, please stop tattling. You're not going to go with me today if you keep antagonizing your brother."

Cronus keeps calling them brothers hoping they're start acting like human brothers or at least how he thinks human brothers act. He's pretty sure the boys were friends so why can't they act like it?

"He's not my brother!" Eridan protests. "He's a _landdweller_ \--"

"Eridan," Cronus says firmly. "That's enough."

"-- and - and he's got _red_ blood!" Eridan finishes.

Cronus inhales sharply, eyes darting to Karkat. The little troll sits stock still for a moment then his shoulders start to shake. Pink tears start rolling down his little face. Cronus thinks his heart is going to break.

Fuck, why did Kankri leave him alone with them for this long. He always fucks things up. And the kids don't need that.

"Karkat," he starts, keeping his voice gentle.

Karkat shoots up from the table. "I want Kan!" he sobs in a louder voice than Cronus has ever heard him. Then he's out the kitchen door.

Cronus looks at Eridan. "Stay put," he tells him firmly.

Eridan bursts into tears. "I didn't do anything," he wails.

Cronus is torn between which boy to go to first, but picks Karkat because Karkat is moving and might run off and get hurt. Eridan will at least stay put.

At least he hopes.

***

Karkat doesn't know where to run too. He'll get in trouble if he runs out of the house and there are other adults out there. He wants Kankri to be there to protect him from the highblood.

He hears Cronus' footsteps behind him. "Karkat," Cronus calls.

Cronus doesn't _sound_ mad, but Karkat clutches at his shirt in panic. What's he going to do? What's he going to do?

He runs into his room and crawls under the piece of furniture by his pile. He covers his mouth with his hands trying to muffle the sound of his crying. Cronus is close, Karkat can hear his footsteps and feels the vibrations in his horns.

He can also hear the muffled sound of Eridan crying. Did Cronus do something to Eridan?

Karkat curls up closer to the wall, trembling. He doesn't understand why Eridan is so mean to him sometimes. It's like he gets angry and doesn't know why and Karkat is just the closest troll that isn't bigger than him.

But Eridan is a highblood. Same color as Cronus he bets.

So why isn't Cronus comforting Eridan? Why is Cronus after him? Why won't Cronus just go away and leave him and Kankri alone? Why do they have to live with the highbloods who are scary and could hurt them?

Why won't things make sense in his head?

"Karkat?"

Cronus’ voice is so very kind and gentle. It scares Karkat even more. He covers his mouth with both hands, trying to muffle even his breathing.

He sees Cronus' boots. "Karkat, c'mon, you aren't in trouble."

Karkat doesn't believe him.

He watches as Cronus bend down and kneels to look at him. Karkat holds back a squeak.

"Hey," Cronus says, peering at Karkat. "That doesn't look too comfortable under there."

Karkat hides his face.

Cronus sighs. Karkat hears him shifting. When he dares peek between his fingers he sees Cronus laying down. Cronus gives him a small smile.

"I'm not mad," he says. "And you aren't in trouble. If anyone is in trouble it's Eridan for saying those things."

Karkat wipes his face. "But it was all true."

"You might be a landdvweller and you might have red blood, but that doesn't mean you're anything less than Eridan," Cronus says calmly. "You're just the same as Kankri."

Karkat sniffs and doesn't say anything. He's so confused. There's stuff in his head that doesn't fit and it makes him want to cry more.

Cronus reaches a hand out to him and Karkat draws back with a whimper.

"Karkat," Cronus voice shakes just a little. "I vwon't hurt you. I vwon't hurt you anymore than I vwould hurt Kankri."

"Red blood is bad," Karkat whispers. "No one would care if you did."

"I vwould care. Kankri's my matesprit," Cronus tells him. "You're our -- our child. Vwe care about you."

"Why?" Karkat dares to ask.

Cronus blinks. "Because you're ours. Vwe vwon't hurt you. I vwon't hurt you. I vwill not allowv anyone to hurt you either."

Karkat shakes, his fingers clutching his shirt tightly. "Promise?"

"I swear it," Cronus whispers solemnly. He reaches out a hand to Karkat again.

This time Karkat allows Cronus to pull him out from under the bed and into his arms. Cronus hugs Karkat to his chest, papping his back as he cries.

"Nothing makes sense," he whimpers.

"It'll be okay," Cronus whispers. "Vwe'll make it okay."

Karkat wishes he could believe Cronus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Universe-c


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Start of the new content. Thanks to everyone for hanging in there with the reformatting.

Kankri strokes Terezi's back, shooshing the little girl back to sleep. She's surprisingly bright for her age and talking out her visions with her until she got calm and sleepy worked better than Latula's walking, papping, and shooshing.

"She will sleep now," Kankri tells Latula, who is hovering in the doorway.

She looks exhausted and worn -- and still beautiful. He pities and love Cronus. He does, but Latula is -- she just is. He's always wanted her in a quadrant, but never knew how to get her there. It had been easier to be celibate than risk rejection. It wasn't the only reason he'd been celibate, but it was a reason.

Latula smiles and walks into the room. "Great," she says, sounding as tired as she looks. "Awesome."

She strokes some hair off of Terezi’s face. "My poor little 'rezi," she says.

Kankri gets to his hoofs. "The best way to deal with her visions is to talk them out with her," he tells Latula. "But I'm always available to talk to her."

Latula smiles and Kankri's bloodpusher flutters slightly. "Thanks, Kankri." She gives him a kiss on the cheek.

Kankri ducks his head and decides not to tell Cronus about that bit. As he leaves the hive he's greeted by the sight of Mituna walking the porch with Sollux in his arms. The little troll is sniffling into his shoulder. Mituna looks pained.

Kankri pauses, but is at a loss for words. Mituna is hard to deal with and Kankri worries about him with two sensitive children in the hive. He doesn't understand how Latula deals with it, but she must pity Mituna a great deal. "Terezi is asleep."

"Good," Mituna says.

"Is Sollux all right?" Kankri asks cautiously.

Mituna tightens his arms around Sollux. "Headache," his says in clipped tones. Like he's trying hard to hold back, to restrain himself. "It's his powers."

Kankri nods slowly. "I hope he feels better soon," he offers.

Mituna makes a hard to read face. "Won't drop him," he says defensively.

Kankri holds his hands up in a placating manner. "I wouldn't think that you would," Kankri says calmly. "I will leave you to care for him. I should get back to my own wrigglers."

He's walking towards the house he's taken as a hive with Cronus, when he realizes how true that was. Karkat and Eridan are his. Just like Cronus is his.

It's a different kind of pity and feeling of possession that he feels for the two children than he feels for Cronus, but he does pity them.

Kankri is looking forward to seeing them, to seeing Cronus. Latula is a temptation, but he will always come home to Cronus. To the two little ones that need him dearly.

He walks into a quiet hive. It's unusual for this time. Eridan and Cronus both are early risers and Cronus should be feeding them breakfast. The food preparation block is empty but a mess. Barely eaten fish sits on plates.

Kankri frowns. Cronus knows better than to leave such a mess. Maybe Cronus took both children down to the lake?

But still, Cronus shouldn't have left a mess.

He walks through the hive a bit at a loss what to do. When he enters the respiteblock he shares with Cronus, he finds his family.

Cronus has the two boys next to him, both fast asleep with dried tears on their faces. Cronus puts a finger to his lips.

Kankri swallows and sits down on the corner of the bed. "What happened?" he asks softly.

Cronus strokes his fingers through Karkat's hair. "Just a little vwater vworks, its fine novw."

Reaching out to Karkat, Kankri's bloodpusher clenches. He wonders if he's to blame for not being there. "It had to be more than that."

Cronus frowns slightly and sighs, letting Kankri draw Karkat to him. "Eridan said some things he shouldn't havwe," there's a pause. "About blood color."

Kankri curls his arms around Karkat, who wakes only slightly and burrows against Kankri with a soft trill. It's a good trill, one that means Karkat thinks he's safe.

"Oh," he says in pained tones. His hands shake slightly. Oh, but he can just hear the things that might have been said. "Oh."

"Kan," Cronus whispers. "I dealt vwith it. The boys are fine nowv."

Kankri shakes his head. "If I'd been here --"

Cronus's frown returns. "Eri might have said the same things." He looks down at the sleeping boy. "He vwasn't saying anything different than I once believwed. Before you."

"I don't wish to discuss it," Kankri says firmly, not wanting to fight. Or to talk about Cronus's old prejudices. Ones Kankri sometimes thinks only changed because it got him into Kankri's pants. "You should have gotten me."

"You vwere busy impressing Latula," Cronus says bitterly.

Kankri's head jerks up. He hopes guilt isn't written across his face. "That's unfair."

"Is it?" Cronus asks sharply.

Kankri looks away.

"Thought so. Don't vworry Kan, I knowv my place," Cronus says in a brittle voice. He slides his arm out from around Eridan. "I need to get to the lake."

Kankri doesn't say anything, doesn't even look up to watch Cronus go. He doesn't realize he's crying until Karkat is papping his face.

"Don't cry, Kankri," Karkat whispers. "It'll be okay. Cronus said so."

Kankri just feels more miserable, but forces a smile for Karkat's sake.

***

It takes Kankri a while to coax the boys out of bed and into eating something. Eridan willingly devours his fish, but he can only coax Karkat into eating mushed up wild oats. Kankri even puts some of their precious honey into it.

Eridan doesn't complain about Karkat getting a treat. Kankri suspects it's because he feels bad about making Karkat cry earlier. Or he realizes that he already lost a privilege today and it's not the time to ask for treats for himself.

Kankri's not sure. He doesn't remember being so young very clearly. And none of them were raised with brothers or sisters. Cronus seems to think some bickering is okay, from those humankin novels he used to read, but Kankri just wants harmony.

Things are hard enough without the children being so unhappy.

"You can have some too," Karkat whispers shyly to Eridan. He scoots his bowl a bit closer to Eridan to share his oats and honey.

Eridan bites his bottom lip with teeth far sharper than an adult’s, and looks up at Kankri.

Kankri frets for a moment about what to do. Then sighs. "It's up to to you, Eri," he says. "If Karkat's offering, then you can have some."

"It's okay," Karkat says a bit more confidently. "It's my fault you didn't get to go with Cronus."

Eridan uses his spoon to get a small bite, then shakes his head. "My fault. I made you cry," he says like a confession. "Sorry I said those things."

"It's okay," Karkat says again, and paps Eridan's shoulder.

Eridan's smile is shy, but happy.

Kankri is a little in awe and amazed how that seems to make everything better between the two little ones. Some shared food, an apology, and a pap -- and things are better.

Eridan only eats a few bites from Karkat's food and offer some of his fish in return. Karkat doesn't even wrinkle his nose when he says no. Kankri's under no delusion though that Karkat won't have trouble today.

What buried fears could Eridan have woken up? Not even buried fears, but fears that always seem to linger just under the surface of Karkat's mind. Kankri, though, is more worried about ancestral memories.

He always worries more that Karkat could remember the Sufferer's memories. He hopes so very much that doesn't happen until Karkat is older - but hope isn't Kankri’s department. Blood is.

And blood memories run deep for a Vantas.

This might be why he ends up only a half hour later, with his head on Porrim's shoulder. Karkat is in Kankri's lap, instead of playing - Gamzee isn't there again, so Kankri really can't talk to Porrim about the morning. Just resting his head against his moirail feels nice though.

It centers him a bit.

_Oh._

He's such an idiot.

"Could you mind Eridan until Karkat and I get back?" he asks Porrim.

Porrim laughs. "I mind all the children, Kanny," she teases.

Kankri flushes just slightly. "I'm normally here to help," he points out.

She laughs again, but it's not at him. He's very good at knowing when people are laughing at him. "True, but I believe I can handle them all. Where are you planning to go?"

Kankri glances down at Karkat, whose tiny claws are poking holes in his sweater. "I think after this morning someone would like a visit to his moirail."

Karkat looks up, eyes going wide and hopefully. "Gamzee? We can visit Gamzee?"

"If Meulin approves," Kankri cautions.

Porrim nods as if she approves of the idea. She possibly does. She pats them both on the head. "Say hello to Meulin for me and tell her the other children miss Gamzee and Nepeta. Tavros and Equius ask after them almost twice daily."

Karkat gets to his hooves and tugs at Kankri hand.

"I will try," Kankri says, rising and scooping Karkat into his arms.

"You really shouldn't carry him all the time," Porrim suggests kindly.

Karkat just snuggles into Kankri's arms, chin on his shoulder. "He had a rough morning," Kankri says as an excuse. Mostly, he's afraid something might snatch Karkat away. Silly fear, but if the village whispers about Meulin and Kurloz not being fit to raise children, then some must whisper about his ability.

Cronus at least is a highblood.

Porrim doesn't push the subject or even shake her head.

Kankri walks across to where Eridan is playing with Feferi. "Eridan, I'm taking Karkat to visit Gamzee. Will you be alright here with Porrim?"

He won't just leave and assume Eridan will be alright with it. Both boys have had enough upheavals for one day. And, well, Kankri is trying hard not to think of what will happen if he and Cronus fall to pieces.

Eridan looks up from his play. "Yep! Bye Karkat!" he chirps then goes right back to playing.

Kankri suppresses a laugh. Karkat waves at the other children. Terezi and Sollux are missing, but Kankri suspected that would be the case.

He carries Karkat up the hill towards Meulin and Kurloz’s hive. Kurloz would most likely not be there as he spent most his days out in the woods. Kankri suspected Gamzee got left alone at the hive a lot, since he'd seen Meulin taking Nepeta out hunting with her.

It makes his bloodpusher ache a little to think of Gamzee all alone in that hive. Children should feel wanted, shouldn't they? That's what the humans said when trying to give the trolls a crash course on parenting.

Though, as Roxy had said, most of them didn't have parents.

The humans at least knew what to do in theory. They had instincts for it. Kankri sometimes despaired that trolls even had the instincts for it.

Gamzee is on the front porch of the hive with Nepeta, when Kankri and Karkat come into view. They're drawing on the wood with colorful sticks Jane had called crayons. Nepeta sees them first and tugs at Gamzee's sleeve and points them out.

Gamzee is on his feet in second almost bouncing. "Best friend! Best friend!" he calls.

Karkat squirms, until Kankri puts him down. The two children practically throw themselves at each other in a hug. 

"Missed you, best friend," Gamzee says fiercely.

"Missed you too," Karkat says, hugging back tightly.

Kankri watches the two boys cling to each other, then notices how Nepeta draws her knees up to her chin. He makes a note to try and talk -- sign -- to Meulin about taking Nepeta for a visit to Equius.

Gamzee seems to finally notice Kankri and draws back just slightly. "Hi, Mr Kankri, sir," he says almost hesitantly.

Like Kankri's something to be wary of.

Karkat twines his fingers with Gamzee's.

"You can just call me Kankri, Gamzee," Kankri tells him as gently as he's able. "Hello Nepeta."

"Hi," Nepeta says, raising her hand like a cat paw. She gives him a smile that's adorable, but contains a lot of teeth. Then she shoots to her feet and bounds inside.

To get Meulin?

Gamzee and Karkat have gone up to the porch and are sitting side by side still holding hands. Gamzee is point out stuff in his drawing.

"And that's Hoppy," Gamzee is saying. "Meulin brought him home. He's so fluffy and soft, and he sleeps next to my bed!"

Kankri stands awkwardly, watching them play.

Meulin walks out the door of the hive, she smiles first looking at Gamzee and Karkat, then looks slightly worried when she sees Kankri.

He smiles at her. "Good afternoon," he signs. He's still a little clumsy at it, for all the endless years he had to work on it. He can somewhat understand what Meulin is telling him, but it's normally clipped and missing subtle inflections. He really should try to get better at this. "I hope you do not mind. Karkat had a bad morning."

Meulin shakes her head and walks out a bit further so she's standing in front of him. "They are the cutest little meowrails," she says. "They are happy. See?"

"I thought they'd be happy," Kankri signs back. "It is why I brought Karkat for a visit."

She shakes her head. "No, my kittens are happy. You see? Everything is purrfectly fine. No need to worry."

Kankri frowns slightly in confusion. "Porrim says the other children miss Gamzee and Nepeta."

"They are fine with me," Meulin signs at him almost angrily.

He holds his hands up placatingly. "Meulin, I only mean that that the children miss two of their friends."

Her shoulders slump a bit. "They are safe with me," she signs, then glances back at Gamzee and Karkat who've started drawing on the wood where Nepeta and Gamzee had left off. "I can watch Karkat. I'll keep him safe like he was my own kitten."

Kankri can't help the shiver of fear. No, no he will not be leaving Karkat alone with Kurloz's matesprit. No thank you.

"No, but thank you. Karkat gets anxious if he's away from me," he excuses himself.

Meulin eyes get this almost faraway look of hurt. "I have things to finish inside," she signs, then turns on her heels and goes back inside. Her tail swishing behind her.

Kankri can't help wonder if he's missed something. Surely, Meulin understands Karkat being so sensitive?

And honestly he doesn't understand how she thinks Gamzee and Nepeta are safer with her. Maybe if he could trust Kurloz not to influence her - but he doesn't. Karkat is his little one to protect.

Kankri stands awkwardly watching Karkat and Gamzee play before he eventually sits on the porch steps. The two boys are holding hands as they color. It's sweet and innocent. Kankri envies them in a way, but he's glad that with all the bad memories that haunt the children some of them have good memories and connections still.

Nepeta comes creeping back eventually. She wearing the hat Porrim knit for her (her old one was far too big), and carrying her stuffed toy in her mouth. Kankri chuckles as she heads butts both boys like an affectionate purrbeast - causing the boys to giggle - before she settles down to join them in coloring.

Meulin doesn't come back out, at least not the front door, while Kankri sits there. The star that passed for a sun starts to dip low in the sky and he know he should take Karkat home.

But the three children seem so content, he reluctant for them to leave.

Just a little longer he tells himself. Just a little longer.

***

Cronus pauses after hauling in another net full of fish. He glances up at the sky, then at Meenah. "I think vwe can call it for the day," he suggests.

Meenah looks at their haul and chews at her bottom lip. It's not a gesture she'd let a lot of trolls see. He knows she worries, more than she ever used too. About the coming dark season - winter the humans call it - and about there being enough food to last the dark season.

"Vwe can only clean and store so much," he reminds her. He worries too.

Maybe if Muelin hunted more than she did to supplement the fish or they had more than the half ruined remains of gardens and what they could scavenge in the woods. Maybe if the humans helped instead of hiding away in self imposed exile.

"I know," she sighs finally. "We should think about reeling in our wrigglers from Porrim for the day."

Cronus nods in agreement.

They work together to finish up their duties. Hauling the fish to both Horuss' smokehouse and to the cold storage with the rest. Cronus thinks they owe Horuss more thanks than they give him, since it's thanks to him they have a smokehouse or cold storage at all. Thanks to however he rigged up the water wheel that sits where the lake feeds into a river, the water wheel generates a limited amount of electricity, but enough for important things..

By the end of it they’re sweaty and tired, and Cronus itches for a swim - a swim in the sea would be amazing but he's not getting that. 

He hesitates in following Meenah as she goes to get Feferi. Kankri will be there with Porrim. And with Kankri there it's not like he needs to get the boys.

"You okay, Cronus?" Meenah asks.

He rubs the back of his neck and wishes for a cigarette, if just for the illusion of not caring. "Everything’s going swimmingly.’

"You and insuff--Kankri fight or something?" she asks, coming to a stop to eye him.

"No," he says not wanting the teasing he knows will happen.

"Aw, c'mon you can tell me, Cro-fins. You call him in the wrong name or something?" she teases.

Cronus scowls at her. "No!"

"Then what?" Meenah presses.

"Latula," he grumbles finally.

"Why fight about her?" Meenah rolls her eyes. "Like she ever gonna leave Mituna," she scoffs.

"Not vwhat I'm vworried about," he protests.

Meenah laughs at him. "Don't be a guppie. Even if Latula decided she cod do better -- which she cod - she's not going to start chasing your insufferable one."

Cronus makes a face. "I knowv," he half whines.

"Stop worrying, you've got the market cornered on your mutant. Now c'mon," She takes his arm and half drags him towards Porrim's.

Cronus grumbles slightly, but let's her drag him along.

There's no sign of Kankri or Karkat when they get there. Cronus tries not to think the worst at that.

Meenah scoops up Feferi when the little girl runs up to her. Another day, Cronus would let himself be amused again by how much Meenah utterly adores what should be her rival. They rub noses and Meenah always looks so proud.

Eridan tugs at his leg. "Cronus! Cronus!"

"Hey chief," Cronus says. He's not big on carrying the boys like Kankri is, but he bends down to hug Eridan. "Where's Kan and Karkat?"

Eridan clutches his seahorse tightly. "Don't know. They left," the little boy's voice gets all wobbly.

Cronus picks him up and sets him on his hip. "I'm sure they didn't mean to be gone so long," he says quickly. "Do you know where they went?"

Eridan shakes his head and clutches at Cronus.

"Kankri took Karkat for a visit with his moirail," Porrim says, from behind him.

Cronus turns and gives her a raised eyebrow. "He took Karkat to see Gamzee? Up to -- " he trails off.

Porrim nods. "While I'm surprised they are not back yet, Karkat doesn't get many opportunities to play with Gamzee," she points out.

Cronus wants to squirm under her gaze. He always get the impression she doesn't approve of him. Or his matespritship with Kankri.

"I'll just take Eri home then," Cronus says. "Good-night Porrim."

"Night, Porrim," Eridan says, letting go of his grip on Cronus long enough to wave to her.

She smiles. "Good-night, Eridan. I will see you tomorrow."

The little boy nods.

Cronus carries him towards their hive.

The hive is dark when they get there. He tries not to worry. He just smiles and tossels Eridan's hair. He's good at putting on acts.

"You want to play some while I make dinner?" he asks.

Eridan shakes his head and clings a little tighter. Cronus paps him gently. "Alright, alright. Let's sit on the couch and read some, hey?"

That gets a tiny nod for Eridan. Cronus makes a detour into Eridan's room and grabs one of the children's books off the self -- he still wants to know why there were books suited for children in a language trolls could read in this village but that's not a worry for now. He carries Eridan back into the living block and sits them both down on the couch. He picks a story at random and starts to read.

He hasn't been reading for long when he hears Kankri's familiar footsteps on the porch. Cronus sits Eridan down on the couch. "Be right back, Eri," he assures the boy.

Cronus meets Kankri at the front door with a scowl. He's carrying a sleepy Karkat.

"Vwhere have you been," Cronus hisses softly.

Kankri looks startled, then a little guilty. "I lost track of the time," he sounds a little vague. His eyes look unfocused for a moment. "Gamzee and Karkat were having so much fun --"

A thought crosses Cronus’ thinkpan that makes his anger dissolve like it never was. "You lost track of time. At Kurloz's hive?" He takes Kankri's face in his hands, looking at him as if he could see signs that Kurloz had done something.

"Nothing happened," Kankri whispers. "Kurloz wasn't even there. You're overreacting, Cronus. I realize you are deflecting from speaking about this morning but -"

"This isn't about this morning! How would you know?" Cronus hisses. "He could have--"

Karkat reaches out and paps both their faces. "Don't fight," he pleads, in a tiny voice.

Cronus and Kankri both take sharp breathes.

"We aren't fighting, little one," Kankri assures him.

Cronus manages a smile. "No, not fighting at all." He swallows around the lump in his throat. "Howv about I make dinner? Kan, I vwas reading to Eri, if you vwant to finish up."

Kankri slowly nods and gives a strained smile. "Alright," he agrees.

Cronus flees into the kitchen trying to shake his fear. There's nothing to worry about, he tells himself. Nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Universe-c


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are changing.

Jane goes along with Dirk when heads down to the troll village. Someone needs to be along that can be diplomatic. After all the trolls might not want them to move into the main village and Dirk can be so - blunt about things when he's not playing mind games.

And she's just too worn out for that bullshit lately. The kids being sick is a big part of it, but she's also been sorting through the basement larder Roxy and Calliope found. Jane wanted to know what supplies they had. It might be a good bargaining tool, after all. They had things like barrels of flour and a sweet fluffy almost sugar-like powder. Not to mention sacks of something like earth turnips.

She wanted to make sure nothing was spoiled before they put things on the table - and she's the only one with experience around a kitchen, really. In any way that counted.

"You know we'll be closer to Clown one and two," Dirk points out as they walk.

Jane suppresses a shiver. "One of those clowns is practically a baby now, Dirk," she reminds both him and herself. "And if Kurloz was a threat don't you think the trolls would have dealt with him?"

Dirk's expression is hard to read. "He was their friend for eons. I think the guy gets a lot of passes on shit."

"Dirk," she says, and grabs his wrist to make him stop walking. He stares down at her hand from behind his battered sunglasses. She sometimes kinda hopes they’ll break. "I know you like isolation..."

He snorts. "Don't pull that, Janey. I live in a house with you, Jake, and four kids, it's not being around other _people_."

"Bullshit," she hisses.

Dirk jerks his wrist from her grip. "Says you."

"Jake agrees with me about this," she says. It's playing dirty, but she's not going to trust Dirk not to sabotage this.

Dirk frowns."You two talkin' about me behind my back now?"

Jane rolls her eyes. "It's not like that and you know it," she huffs. Her crush on Jake is mostly a thing of the past, and she's not Dirk. She's not going to snipe Jake from him. "We know you, Dirk. You think you can take care of us all up in our little village. But what if things get bad? What if we get sick? We can't do this alone, you can't do this alone."

Dirk turns his head sharply away from her. "I - " he inhales and exhales sharply.

"Don't sabotage this," she says softly. "That's all I'm asking. If not for me and Jake, then for your little bros."

That's even dirtier move, and she knows it.

Dirk is still for longer than makes her comfortable, then he laughs sharp and loud. "You don't pull punches. I always forget that." He turns his head back towards her. "I'll be a good boy, Janey. Don't worry."

Jane gives him a smile as reward, then on impulse a kiss on the cheek. "My prince," she says in tones half mocking, half sincere. 

He grumbles, but they start walking down to the troll village again, winding their way around the lake. Jane can already see Cronus and Meenah gliding through the water. Beyond that she can see smoke rising up from what must be the village smokehouse.

She makes a mental note to mention Jake being able to smoke some of the game he brings in. She doesn't know what winters going to be like in this place, but she already worries about food.

Jane suddenly misses her dad so much it hurts, but she pushes it back. She's the parent now. She's got to act like one.

It's just so hard.

She takes a shaky breath and hopes her eyes don't look as wet as they feel.

Meenah must have spotted them because it's not long before she's gliding through the water towards them. She surfaces nears the shore, dragging a net behind her. Cronus is still further out in the lake, near the boat they use to put their catches in.

" 'sup," Dirk drawls.

Meenah grins - and Jane will never get used to the trolls and their mouths full of knives. "What's coaxed you two out of your little village?" she asks.

Jane can see Cronus getting closer behind Meenah, dragging the boat behind him.

Dirk smiles back, managing to look just as dangerous. "We under quarantine?"

Meenah laughs. "Only the one you put yourself under."

Jane puts a hand on Dirk's arm, already knowing this could get out of hand. "That's sort of why we were heading to your village," Jane says. "We wanted to talk to you about unification."

Dirk sets his jaw in a way Jane doesn't like. "What she means is we decided to move in with you lot," he says bluntly. "That going to be a problem?"

Meenah tilts her head to the side, eyeing them both. "You're serious, huh?" She turns to looks at Cronus whose appeared at her right side. "Hear that, Cro, the think they can just move in."

"I heard," Cronus says evenly. "It's a good idea."

Meenah sputters slightly and Jane suppressed a giggle at how outraged she looks that Cronus cut down her fun. "You're such a fish outta water today," she complains, then says something to Cronus that Jane doesn't understand. Dirk might, but it doesn't even sound like noises her throat could make.

"We have supplies we can share," Jane says, after watching Cronus and Meenah's faces. "And we'll help with bringing in food and do jobs around the village."

Drik's got his arms folded across his chest and he looks like he wants to walk.

"Vwhat kind of supplies," Cronus asks.

"There's a food cellar we found," Jane tells him. "Flour, something like sugar, vegetables, and some salted meats. Plus Jake's hunting could supplement your fishing."

Meenah makes a face. "What's wrong with fish?"

"You don't have a vwriggler that hates fish," Cronus tells her pointedly.

Meenah huffs. "Fine, I'll need to call a meeting, but whatever. There are enough hives to go around." She eyes Dirk. "Is that cherub coming too?"

"Calliope is part of our group," he says acidly. "Is that a problem?"

"Shell, I was just asking," Meenah mutters. "We'll send someone up to your village after the meeting to tell you definitively. But the only ones that might object don't exactly come to meetings."

"Thank you," Jane says cutting off whatever Dirk was opening his mouth to say.

Meenah shrugs and goes back under the water, dragging the net of fish with her. Cronus stays for a moment. "Hey, kitten, tell Roxy thanks for the lend of the kids’ books. Kan says they vwork vwonders."

Then he's back under the water too.

"I don't like that they asked about Calliope," Drik says finally.

"You don't like a lot of things," Jane points out. "Could you understand what they were saying?"

He makes a gesture that looks sort of like a shrug and sort of like he's tensing up his spine. "Some of it."

Dirk starts walking back towards their village.

Jane hurries to catch up. "You going to tell me?"

"Nope," Dirk says, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Jane makes frustrated noise. "You're impossible."

Dirk gives her a smile. "You know you love it."

"Ugh," Jane groans. "You have me confused with Jake."

His face goes hard and a little cold. Jane doesn't understand what's she's said wrong.

They don't talk the rest of the way back.

***

"So what's been under your fins, today?" Meenah asks as she stows the nets away. "You aren't still fighting with Kankri are you?"

Cronus is torn between wanting to tell Meenah his suspicions and wanting to pretend the thoughts never crossed his pan. "Not fighting," he sighs, wondering if he makes up a bullshit reason that she'll let it drop.

Meenah raises a eyebrow. "What then? Shell, you're not still twisted up about him going to Latula's hive the other morning?"

Cronus hasn't even thought about that since he looked into Kankri's dazed expression last night. "Nothing to do with Latula," he grumbles, unable to keep an annoyed trill from his voice. "It's nothing, Meenah."

She frowns at him putting her hands on her hips. "I could order you to tell me what's glubing wrong."

"And I could ignore that order," he reminds her.

Meenah pouts. "Hate giving orders anyways," she half whines. Then bumps shoulders with him. "Want me to take the evening patrol?"

Cronus shakes his head. "No, I got it. You've got Feferi to pick up."

"I can make Aranea do it," Meenah tells him.

"It's fine, I got it," he assures her, then watches her shrugs and walk off towards Porrim's. He needs the time to think, because he's going to talk to Kankri tonight about his worries. He's going to have a sane, calm, reasonable discussion with his matesprit about how he thinks Kurloz was messing with Kankri's thinkpan yesterday.

He's going to be adult about this, not paranoid and overprotective.

Who the fuck is he kidding anyways?

The hive is already dark when Cronus drags himself across the threshold after he finishes up patrol. The entire time he had the unsettling feeling of being watched and at least once he thought he saw a figure lurking in the darkness.

He really wants to think he's overreacting and imagining things. He's just unsettled by the humans wanting to move to the village, he tells himself. No matter how much it's a good thing, it's still going to change things.

Still the hush over the village unnerves him.

Cronus slips off his boots and walks through the darkened hive. He checks on each of the boys in their respiteblocks, and finds them deep in peaceful slumber. In his own bed he finds Kankri going over what looks like lists of supplies. He can't tell if it's their supplies or lists the humans sent down.

Kankri looks up with a smile when he senses and hears Cronus, and sets the lists aside. "Cronus, I was starting to worry."

"Just a routine patrol," he says leaning down for a kiss. No sense in worrying Kankri about his concerns just yet. "Vwhat with the lists? Porrim give you homework?"

Kankri rolls his eyes. "Supply lists from the humans. Meenah asked me to look them over before the meeting tomorrow."

Cronus makes an interested noise as he changes from his slightly damp clothes.

Kankri starts going on about the benefits of combining the villages and the boost to supplies. Cronus already knows all that, so he slides into the bed and rubs his face against Kankri's throat. Kankri cuts off mid-sentence with a happy little trill.

"Cronus," he protests weakly.

Cronus bites at Kankri's skin, drawing out a soft whirr from his matesprit. His fingers go under Kankri's shirt to find his sensitive grub scars. "Yeah, babe?"

"You're interrupting me," Kankri complains, but doesn't sound too upset.

Cronus clicks in his throat and rests his chin against Kankri's chest. "So I am. Howv rude of me," he teases. "So howv vwas your day? Vwere the children good?"

Kankri huffs. "My day was uneventful and the children are always good." He squirms under Cronus.

He lets his claws traces the edges of Kankri's ribs. "Uneventful, hmm?"

"Yes," Kankri stutters, squirming more. "Cronus - "

Cronus cuts him off his a kiss. He presses his tongue past Kankri's teeth, stroking at the roof of his mouth. When he comes up for needed air, he smiles and licks his lips. Then he dives in for another deep kiss.

He takes Kankri apart with his tongue in his mouth, leaving Kankri a panting wreck. Only then does he start to slide off Kankri's clothes. Kankri whimpers and whines, body asking for all the things Kankri's mouth refuses to ask for still.

Kankri's nook it absolutely dripping when Cronus slides his fingers down there. Cronus swollen bulge unsheathes to wrap around and tease Kankri's.

"Cronus," Kankri gasps, between clicks and whirrs.

"Yeah?" Cronus asks adding a second finger. His bulge tightens and loosens around Kankri's.

Kankri chews at his bottom lip, hips bucking.

"Gotta tell me vwhat you vwant, Kan," Cronus teases.

Kankri pants open mouthed, claws digging into the blankets. Cronus thinks Kankri just might ask for it this time.

A high scared wail pierces the air.

Cronus groans for an entirely different reason and slumps forward on Kankri. Of course.

"Sounds like Karkat," Kankri says, trying to pull himself back together.

Cronus' bulge is already resheathing itself. "I'll get him," he tells Kankri. He leverages himself up and off the bed, then starts pulling on clothes.

"Are you sure?" Kankri asks.

Cronus nods. "Yeah, you've dealt with them all day." He always feels a little guilt about that.

He pulls a shirt over his horns and head, then heads down the hall to Karkat's room. Cronus only hopes that he doesn't wake Eridan too.

***

Kankri dresses quickly when Cronus still hasn't returned with or without Karkat after what seems like a long stretch of time. The wood is cold under his feet and he flexes his toes when he stops to look in of Eridan.

Eri is thankfully still asleep.

Kankri makes his way to Karkat's respiteblock He can hear the soft murmur of Cronus' voice as he moves down the hall. It's reassuring in ways Kankri never thought another troll’s voice would be.

He peers into the the block and sees Karkat curled up in Cronus' arms. Cronus is singing softly, more notes than words, his voice rising and falling in a way that reminds Kankri of the ocean. It's soothing, and more than that it's hopeful.

Kankri leans against the door frame and listens.

Karkat's eyes are fluttering closed, whatever frightened him chased away by sound of Cronus' voice. The scene is so precious that Kankri wants to bottle it up or take a picture of it. He wants it as proof to show anyone that would dare say Cronus doesn't adore these children.

Kankri pities Cronus so dearly. More so than he ever thought he did in the endless eons in the bubbles. Even he, with his open mind and ability to see beyond the surface, didn't see this capacity in Cronus.

"I think he's asleep," Kankri finally whispers, though he could listen to Cronus croon for so much longer.

Cronus looks up and Kankri is shocked to see violet tears in his eyes. "Yeah, guess he is," Cronus says softly. He snuggles Karkat down into his pile, pulling blankets up over the tiny child.

"Are you alright?" Kankri asks, moving forward into Cronus' personal space.

Cronus leans into Kankri and rests his forehead on Kankri's shoulder. "Do you ever miss home?"

Kankri slides his arms around his matesprit. "I - " He's never really thought about it. Beforus was what it was. "No," he finally says honestly.

"I miss the ocean," Cronus says.

"Oh," Kankri whispers, then leads Cronus out into the hallway. He doesn't want to rewake Karkat.

Cronus loops his arms back around Kankri then rests his forehead against Kankri's.

"Did your song make you think of it?" Kankri asks, stroking his fingers through Cronus' hair. It feels so different without grease slicking it back.

Cronus mouth does this odd little quirk at the side. "In a sense. My lusus used to qusais sing to me. It always calmed me, figured it couldn't hurt to try on my own wriggler, hey? Just didn't think it would make me miss salt water so much."

"Oh Cronus." This is bordering on pale, but Kankri can't bring himself to care. He strokes Cronus' hair, the back of his neck, he touches his smaller horns to Cronus'. "Maybe we can take the children down to the ocean. You and Meenah said it wasn't far."

Cronus makes a soft unhappy whirr in his throat. "Too far for the kids and we don't know if it's safe." He runs his fingers down Kankri's jaw, fingers resting where the blood runs closest to the surface. "Eri won't grow up with the sea as home."

Kankri doesn't know what to say to that. He's never thought of any place as really being home until, well, here. Until this hive. Instead he uses what he's found works better than words with Cronus. His body.

He kisses Cronus softly. He coaxes Cronus down the hall and into their bed. Kankri wraps himself around Cronus and comforts him with his whole self.

It's paler than one should be with ones matesprit, but Cronus twines their fingers together and doesn't try to instigate more.

"Tell me what you loved about the ocean?" Kankri whispers. He's not sure if he expects an answer.

Cronus squeezes Kankri's fingers. "I miss the warmth," he begins.

Kankri listens with his whole attention, because each word his matesprit says is precious to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Universe-c


	5. Chapter 5

The adults have been anxious. Karkat's not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with the humans?

The human children have been in the village more and more. Karkat likes that. They have the same blood as him and they share their toys.

He likes John and Jade the best. John knows the best games, even if he lets Vriska play sometimes. Jade colors with him and Terezi. 

Jade had a lusus too before she came to live with Jake, Dirk, and Jane. It makes him feel a bit better that she remembers and is just as confused as him.

"We're moving to your village!" Jade tells him excitedly one day. "My house is going to be near yours. Jake showed me."

Karkat looks up from the picture he's drawing of his lusus. Kankri likes those pictures, so he's making this one just for Kankri. "All of you?" he asks.

Maybe that's why the adults have been so upset. He's not sure why they'd be upset about the humans. The humans are nice.

They don't make him feel confused the same way the troll adults do. He's sure that's a good thing.

"Yep!" Jade says brightly, then she frowns a little. "Dirk's not so happy. I don't know why."

Karkat reaches out and pats her hand. "Adults don't make sense," he tells her in a hushed voice.

She nods in agreement. "They don't," she agrees, then smiles again. "But we get to play every day now!"

It makes him think of Gamzee and how he wants to be able to play with Gamzee every day. He still doesn't understand why Gamzee and Nepeta don't come down to play at Porrim's. Gamzee should be here hearing this too. Karkat wants Gamzee to be able to play John's games and color with him, Jade, and Terezi.

He wants to hear Gamzee laugh at the silly things Jade says and does.

His lower lip trembles.

Jade scoots up closer. "What wrong?"

"I miss Gamzee," he confides in her softly. Porrim and Kankri are talking to Roxy and not paying attention, but he just doesn't want them to hear.

"Oh," Jade says. She looks sad with him for a moment, then her eyes go all wide and bright. "I know!"

She grabs his hand. "Let's go visit Gamzee. It'll be a surprise."

Karkat shakes his head. "But we'll get in trouble."

Jade shakes her head. "Porrim's rule is that we stay together and we'll be together, right?"

Karkat frowns, that does sort of make sense. "I guess --"

"I'll tell my brother and you tell yours where we're going. So it won't be like no one knows," she explains. "I bet we can go visit Gamzee and come back before anyone notices! It'll be an adventure."

She seems so sure about it all, that Karkat nods in agreement. "Okay," he tells her. He carefully folds his drawing up and puts it in his pocket to finish later.

Jade tells John, who almost wants to go with them until Jade tells him this is a Karkat and Jade adventure only. He pouts, but only for a moment.

Eridan - Karkat guesses he's his brother - frowns. "You're going to get in trouble," he whispers.

Karkat shakes his head. "No we won't."

"Just don't tattle," Jade tells Eridan.

Eridan scowls at her. "I won't!"

Jade scowls right back at him and it makes Karkat laugh. Just a little.

It turns out to be easy to sneak away. The adults, even Kankri, are too busy talking to notice him and Jade sneak behind one of the Hives.

"Why doesn't Gamzee come to Porrim's?" Jade asks as they walk up the hill to Gamzee's hive.

Karkat holds her hand tightly, half afraid of being caught by an adult. "You didn't always come to Porrim's either," he says defensively.

Jade squeezes his fingers. "Just asking! Don't be grumpy."

"I'm not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!" Karkat protests.

Jade giggles.

He likes her giggle so he decides not to be mad at her.

It feels like they've been walking forever before they finally see the hive Gamzee lives in. No one is outside playing. It's quiet in a way his own hive never is. He stops walking, but Jade pulls at his hand.

"C'mon," she tells him. "Don't you want to see Gamzee?"

He nods and makes his hooves start moving again. Together they make their way up to the front door of the hive. Karkat hesitates to knock, so Jade does, rapping twice on the wood.

Just when Karkat is sure no one will answer, the door is pulled slowly open.

Kurloz stands there, his body filling up the whole doorway. He looks down at Karkat and Jade, with something like curiosity.

_** CHILDREN? ** _

"Hi," Jade says brightly as if the scary looking adult didn't just talk into their 'pans. "Karkat wants to visit Gamzee."

"If that's okay," Karkat stutters out.

_** THAT IS ACCEPTABLE.  ** _

He steps back and away from the door, allowing Karkat and Jade inside. Jade practically drags Karkat in.

Karkat spots Gamzee playing with some kind of white furry mammal in the middle of the living block. It hops around making Gamzee laugh. Is that Hoppy, Karkat wonders.

Jade makes a soft squealing noise at the sight of the animal. "It's so cute," she squeals.

Kurloz walks over to Gamzee and leans down. Karkat isn't sure why he's surprised when Kurloz strokes Gamzee's hair like Kankri does for him, but he is.

_** GAMZEE. YOUR MOIRAIL HAS PAID YOU A VISIT ALONG WITH A HUMAN FEMALE. ATTEND. ** _

Gamzee looks up and grins. "Best friend!" he gets to his feet and runs over to Karkat.

"Hi, Gamzee," Karkat says feeling shy with Jade watching. He still wraps Gamzee in a hug and feels something inside him loosen as Gamzee hugs him back.

Gamzee finally pulls back from the hug only to look at Jade with a questioning frown.

Jade just smiles brightly at him.

"Gamzee this is Jade," Karkat says, wary for a reason he can't name.

"Hi!" Jade says, she bounces up on her toes. "Can I hug you too? You look like you give the best hugs."

Gamzee's frown turns into a grin and a laugh. "Sure, you look like you give some righteous hugs too."

Karkat feels both happy and weird as they hug, until Jade and Gamzee in some unspoken agreement pull him into the hug as well. Somehow they wind up in a pile on the floor laughing.

Karkat hears another laugh and it takes him a second to realize it's Kurloz.

The adult is watching them with this smile that isn't quite normal. It's a nice laugh, Karkat decides. Like the ones Cronus does when he's happy about something.

Karkat relaxes a little more.

_** I WILL LEAVE YOU TO YOUR FRIENDS. YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME IF YOU HAVE NEED OF ME. ** _

Gamzee looks up at Kurloz and nods. "Okay!" There a hesitation Karkat can almost feel, then Gamzee goes on. "Are you gonna up and stay for dinner?"

_** PERHAPS I WILL.  ** _

Gamzee grins happily. "That'd be an awesome thing." Then he's tugging Karkat and Jade to their feet. "C'mon and meet Hoppy!"

Karkat is pulled along by Jade and Gamzee.

He's finds he's pretty happy about that.

***

Cronus has just pulled himself up on the dock when Rufioh lands beside him. He knows something is wrong before Rufioh even speaks and panic like he never knew he could feel jolts through him.

"You'd better go to Porrim's," Rufioh says quickly.

_Karkat. Eridan._ Oh fuck. "Vwhat's happened?" he demands, choking on fear.

"Karkat and Jade have gone missing," Rufioh tells him. "We've been -"

Cronus doesn't wait for Rufioh to finish before he takes off towards Porrim's in a run. Karkat missing? Karkat never really leaves Kankri's side.

Kankri almost never lets Karkat out of sight either. How could -

When he first arrives at Porrim's, he sees an empty yard. Porrim, Roxy, and the children are inside. He doesn't see Kankri anywhere. _He's just looking for Karkat,_ he tells himself, but he feels like he can't breathe. Porrim is at the far end of the room, kneeling down and talking to John and Eridan.

Cronus is pushed out of the doorway by Jake coming in. Jake looks and sounds like he ran over too. Any annoyance or knee jerk aggression Cronus pushes aside at the look on Jake's face. The teen looks as freaked out as Cronus feels.

"What happened?" "Vwhat happened?" He and Jake speak almost at the same time.

Cronus hasn't been around Jake much, but the look of terrified panic that Jake wears must be all over his own face.

"Breathe and be calm," Porrim instructs.

Jake twitches like being calm is the last thing on his mind. Like the children around them are the only thing making him keep it together.

Cronus feels that. Oh he does.

Eridan launches himself at Cronus' legs. "They're going to be mad that I tattled," he wails.

John looks just as tearful.

Cronus hand shakes as he strokes back Eridan's hair. "Porrim?" he asks, voice tight.

"It's alright. We know where the children are," Porrim tells them. "Kankri went to fetch them."

John sniffs and rubs at his tear filled eyes. "They weren't supposed to be gone so long."

"John, where did your sister and Karkat go?" Jake asks straight to the point.

John bottom lip trembles. "Are they gonna be in trouble?"

Cronus bites his tongue that yes, Karkat, at least, will be in so much trouble. So much trouble for making Cronus feel like he would explode in fear.

It's Eridan though that spills the last of the children's secrets. "They went to visit Gamzee."

Cronus inhales sharply and makes a noise that's part threat, part fear. Eridan eyes are wide and watchful and Cronus forces himself to not freak out. Kurloz is never there. Meulin wouldn't hurt the kids.

It's fine. It'll be fine. "It'll be fine," he forces himself to say.

"Isn't Gamzee - " Jake cuts off whatever he was going to say. The teenager squares his shoulders. "Kankri went to fetch Karkat and Jade?"

Porrim nods. "I think it would be best if you both just waited here. Kankri should be back very shortly."

She's looking at Cronus as she speaks. He knows what she means. _Don't make a scene, Cronus. Don't overreact. Just sit down and be good._

But fuck that. Fuck that with a harpoon. "I'll just go and meet him halfwvay then," Cronus says firmly. He takes Eridan's hand.

"I think I'll join you," Jake says with the same bit of steel in his voice. "John, Jane will be here shortly. Wait here for her."

John sniffs again and nods, though he looks like he's ready to burst into tears.

Cronus winds up carrying Eridan as they approach the hill up to Kurloz's hive, so they can move faster.

"I didn't know our kids were friends," Jake says, into the silence. "I'm - I'm sure they're right as rain."

Cronus' mind does terrible things when he tries to even imagine that not being the case. So he hopes Jake is right. By all the horrorterrors, he hopes.

He sees Kankri’s familiar bright red sweater first, and almost relaxes. Then he sees black cloth, he sees tall horns, he sees Kurloz.

Kankri and Kurloz are standing so close they’re almost touching. Kankri's arms are limp at his sides, and Kurloz's eyes --

"Kurloz!" Cronus yells, snarls, only Eridan in his arms keeps him from launching himself at the other troll. He wants to tear Kurloz to fucking pieces.

Fuck, he didn't want to be right. He didn't want --

Beside him he sees a flash of movement. Jake is reaching for his guns. The boy's jaw is clenched.

Kurloz looks over Kankri's shoulder, right at Cronus, then steps away from Kankri.

Kankri rocks a step backwards, like he'd fallen asleep standing up and suddenly came awake. "Wha- " He looks around in confusion.

Cronus feels rooted to the spot.

The kids? Where are the kids?

He opens his mouth to demand Kurloz tell him where Karkat is, to threaten that if he's done _anything_ to either child Cronus will _end him._ What comes out is a harsh whirring threat display.

"Where are the children?" Jake demands.

Kurloz doesn't answer and Cronus swears he can see rage oozing from every movement Kurloz takes. Kurloz retreats into the house, and before Cronus can think to move, the two children are walking out the front door.

The look safe, unharmed.

Jade and Karkat are holding hands. "Kurloz said it was time for us to go home?" Jade says, looking at Jake with wide green eyes. "Are - are we in trouble?"

Karkat starts crying.

That seems to snap Kankri out of his daze. He scrambles over and picks Karkat up, shooshing him softly. Kankri's quiet in a way Cronus doesn't like, but Eridan is whimpering in his arms, tiny claws digging into his clothes.

Jade's bottom lip trembles as Jake scoops her up. "We just wanted to see Gamzee," she whispers.

"We'll talk of it when we’re home," Jake says. He looks at Cronus, then glances at the hive. "I think this is best dealt with when the children are safe and tucked in bed, yes?"

"I think you're onto something there," Cronus agrees. He grabs Kankri's wrist, holding so tightly he's sure he's leaving bruises.

Kankri doesn't object.

Cronus doesn't know how he holds it together for the trip down the hill or on the way to their hive. He has no idea how he manages a calm voice with the boys when they get home, or how he deals with Kankri’s silence.

He gets both Eridan and Karkat calmed, he tucks them up together in his and Kankri's bed. Only when he's sure they're okay without him does he go to Kankri in the livingblock.

Kankri is sitting on the couch, with his head in his hands.

Cronus wants to scream. He wants to throw things. He wants to shake Kankri until he starts acting like himself again.

Instead, he kneels down in front of Kankri in his still damp clothes and cups his matesprit's face. "Kankri?" he whispers. "What happened?"

"I can't remember," Kankri says, finally raising his crimson eyes to meet Cronus'. "I've been trying to remember. I remember going up to the hive to get the children and seeing Kurloz -- then you and Jake were there. It's like there's a fog in my head."

Cronus' hands shake. "Nothing at all?" he presses.

Kankri shakes his head and rests his forehead against Cronus'. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Cronus tells him, tenderly. "It's my fault. I knewv he vwas dangerous. I knewv he might try something again. I had my suspicions and I let you and Karkat be in danger and -- this is my fault."

Kankri trills softly. "No, no. I let my guard down. I allowed the children to go missing. Cronus, you have guarded us in every way possible."

"I vwanted to rip his throat out," Cronus admits. "Vwhen I sawv him near you and realized vwhat he vwas doing. I vwanted -- I vwant his blood on my hands."

He expects Kankri to be disgusted, but Kankri just wraps his arms around him and digs his claws in for purchase.

"He would have killed you," Kankri whispers, sounding scared in a way Cronus can't really remember hearing. "Promise you will not confront him, at least not on your own."

"Kankri - " Cronus can't promise that. He can't.

"Promise me," Kankri hisses, claws digging in more. "For Eridan and Karkat’s sake, if not mine."

Cronus shudders full body and finally nods his head. "Fine. I promise."

He has to take deep gulps of air to steady himself. He feels ready to shatter, to become something he won't like - but Kankri holds on tight. He holds Cronus together.

Cronus guesses he better stay put and return the favor.


	6. Chapter 6

"How can you be so fucking calm about this, Jake?" Dirk demands."Do you not understand what happened, what could have happened?’

Jane doesn't want to be here for this, but she feels glued to the spot. She's not even sure if Dirk is angry or scared. His face is a mask and his glasses hide everything.

Jake's voice wavers maybe a little when he answers. "Dirk, I think you're overreacting. Jade is fine as she could be."

"Overreacting?" Dirk says dryly. "You said yourself Kurloz had Kankri mesmerized or some shit."

Jake raises his hands. "I'm only saying that we should be calm and rational about this. There is no sense in making a rash judgement call out of panic."

Jane sees both sides of the argument. She feels torn. But really, Dirk should be listening to Jake on this. Jake was there and it was Jade in potential harms way. Not Dave or Robin.

Dirk squares his shoulders. "I knew this was a mistake. We have no reason to trust the trolls," he says with a dangerously cold edge to his voice. "We should keep the kids away from the troll kids. It's the troll boy's fault Jade was up there. You tell her she isn't allowed to play with him anymore. In fact none of them are allowed to play with the trolls --"

"No!" Jade wails.

They all jerk their heads towards the doorway. Jade is standing there hugging herself, big fat tears running down her face.

Jane sees Dirk inhale sharply more than hears him.

"No," Jade says again, hiccuping. "It's my fault. It's my fault, don't - don't blame Karkat. Don't yell at Jake. I was the bad one."

Dirk doesn't move a muscle. Jane starts to move to gather up the crying little girl, but is beaten to it by the appearance of Dave, Robin, and John.

John wraps his little arms around his sister and Dave and Robin stand in front of her like little guardians. The two little boys glare up at their Bro. They looks like two little mirror images, even in how they stand, how they tilt their heads. It's almost freaky. The only way Jane can tell Robin from Dave, is Robin's hair is more reddish-orange than blond, most likely due to having been a sprite at one point.

"Don't make Jade cry, Bro" Robin says, sounding more adorable than threatening.

"You shouldn't make girls cry," Dave echos.

Dirk looks like he's been kicked in the guts.

"Your Bro didn't do it on purpose," Jake says, and starts herding the children back towards their bedroom. "Come along, I'll read you a story and everything will be fine, you'll see."

Jane wonders how many more times Jake is going to smooth things over for Dirk. How long before Jake is tired of overlooking problems or taking the blame on himself.

She knows Jake blames himself for hurting Dirk so deeply during the game - and really that was her fault, her and that stupid juju candy - but she can't imagine Jake likes always cleaning up after Dirk.

Right now Dirk is looking at the floor, flexing his fingers.

"Dirk," Jane starts, stepping towards him.

"Goin' to tell me off too, Janey?" Dirk asks.

Jane sighs. "For someone so smart you're an idiot." She shakes her head. "They'll have forgotten they're mad at you come morning. "

"I didn't know she was standing there," Dirk says.

Jane gives into the impulse and hugs him. "I know you didn't. Jake knows you didn't. Just - stop being a paranoid isolationist for five minutes and try to see that Jake's scared too?"

Pressed close to him like this she can feel his shaky breath. "There are too many variables," he tells her, like its a secret.

"Yeah, welcome to real life," Jane says before stepping back from him.

Dirk's fingers skim the back of her arms as she does. It sends shivers down her shine that she doesn't know what to do with. "Damn, you mean this isn't a simulation?"

Jane smacks him on the arm and he laughs.

She hopes that's a sign he'll be more reasonable when they all talk later. But it's hard to tell with Dirk.

At least she knows he won't abscond.

***

Kankri starts at the knock on the door. Cronus' arms tighten around him briefly, before he starts to slip away. Kankri wants to cling to him. They haven't moved far from each other since they got home.

There's something dark inside Cronus right now, something vicious and instinctual. It scares Kankri even though it's not directed at him, just as much as it thrills him. Kankri never thought he'd have a matesprit let alone one from a higher blood caste, let alone one that would be willing to protect him. 

He holds onto Cronus hand like he'll slip away into the night. "I'll be right back. Just going to answer the door, Kan," Cronus says, kissing Kankri's fingers.

Kankri lets Cronus fingers slip through his.

He doesn't want to say that he's worried to be left by himself. He doesn't know what Kurloz did to his thinkpan. If he can trust himself.

Kankri hears Meenah's voice.

He thinks about going to check on the children. Instead he stays where he is, straining to hear what's being said. His claws digging into the fabric of the couch.

He hears Kurloz’s name and the sharp rise of Meenah's voice. The low vibrations of Cronus' answer.

He feels so much shame.

Kankri's lost track of time, when Meenah and Cronus finally walk into the livingblock.

Meenah looks at him - he wants to bow his head to avoid her gaze.

"Kurloz fucked with your head," Meenah states. There's an edge to her voice, something cold compared to the red hot fire of Cronus anger.

Kankri nods his head. "Yes," he confirms.

Cronus stands just a step behind her, hands curled into fists. His jaw is clenched tight and for a moment he looks nothing like the troll Kankri pities so. He looks like some darker, violent mirror image.

That scares Kankri more than not knowing what Kurloz did.

"Do you know what he did?" Meenah asks, straight to the point.

"No, I'm sorry Meenah. I don't know," Kankri tells her.

If he's realistic he knows nothing will be done. Blood color never meant as much on Beforus as it did on Alternia, but it still played a role in things. Kurloz is a highblood, the only trolls higher than him being Meenah and Cronus. Kankri won't fool himself to thinking that he matters enough to warrant the kind of issues dealing with Kurloz would entail.

Meenah growls low in her throat. "Shell, don't be sorry. You didn't do anything wrong that I can tell." She glances back at Cronus. "I still can't let you just kill him, Cronus."

"I knowv you can't," Cronus says and finally walks over to Kankri's side. He sits down and Kankri restrains himself from latching on to him.

Meenah sighs, resting her hands on her hips. "But this can't be ignored. I'm calling a meeting at my hive," she says, sounding more, well, adult than Kankri thought he'd ever hear. "I'll see who I can round up, but this is getting dealt with. Tonight."

Cronus settles a hand on Kankri' knee and it makes Kankri feel anchored in a way he needs.

"The humans should be in on this," Cronus points out. "Jake vwas there. Jade vwas in the same amount of potential danger as Karkat."

"We don't have time to consult with the humans," Meenah snaps.

Kankri clears his throat. "You should send Rufioh to alert them at the least. Give them a choice. They will be a part of this village, after all. They should be included in this," Kankri says. "Cronus is right. Jake was there. If anything, the others might need to hear his testimony."

Meenah sighs again and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I hate when you're right," she grumbles. "Alright, I'll send Rufioh to the humans and give them a chance to get here. It would be easier if they'd already moved over."

Kankri is in agreement with that, but before he can voice it he hears Eridan call out. He rises to his feet. "I'll go see to him," he says.

As he leaves his sees Meenah moving closer into Cronus' space and hears her says softly, "You gonna tell me how you really are, Cro-fins?"

It never occurred to him they might be pale.

***

Karkat wakes groggy and disoriented. He doesn't know where he is at first, because this isn't his pile. Then he realizes it’s Kankri and Cronus’ sleeping platform. Eridan is tucked up against him, fast asleep.

He rubs his oculars trying to remember why he's here and not in his pile. And where are Cronus and Kankri? He rubs his oculars again.

His digestive sack rumbles in hunger.

Karkat climbs to the edge of the platform and then down to the floor. The cold wood makes his toes curl, his claws making grooves in the wood.

That's right, Cronus put him and Eridan here after he brought them home. He remembers everything being confusing and scary. Kurloz had told them they needed to go, then Cronus and Kankri were there along with Jade's guardian Jake. The adults had looked like they couldn't decide whether to be mad or scared.

Karkat had thought he was in trouble.

But Cronus didn't yell or anything. He'd hugged him lots instead.

He hopes Jade didn't get in trouble either.

He hopes Gamzee's okay.

The sound of adult voices in the livingblock gets his attention. Maybe someone will make him food.

Karkat pads quietly down the hall towards the voices.

"I can tell he rummaged around in your 'pan," a voice says. Latula, Karkat thinks. Terezi's guardian. "Don't think there's damage."

Karkat wonders why she's here.

"Thank you, Latula," Kankri says.

She says something Karkat doesn't really hear, but he hears her laugh. It doesn't sound happy though.

Karkat stops just by the door. Maybe he'll get in trouble for being up?

"Is Mituna home with the children?" Porrim asks.

Why's Porrim here too, Karkat wonders.

"Got a problem with that?" Latula asks. "He wasn't up for the meeting given the subject. He's perfectly safe with 'rezi and Sollux."

"It was just a question, Latula. You do not need to take that tone with me," Porrim says.

Karkat bites his bottom lip and thinks about creeping back to his own pile. The adults don't sound happy. He peers around the corner too see Latula sitting cross-legged on the floor and Kankri curled against Porrim's side. He doesn't see Cronus.

He chews at his lip, wondering why Kankri looks so - so tired but not tired. It doesn't really make sense in his head.

"Latula, Porrim, please," Kankri pleads. "Latula, did Cronus say how long he would be?"

Latula shrugs, leaning back on her hands. "Don't know. He and Rufioh were getting the kids’ stuff. Should be down with Gamzee soon."

Karkat lets out a chirp at Gamzee's name. Gamzee's coming here?

"Karkat?" Kankri calls.

Karkat steps guiltily into the doorway.

Kankri holds his arms open to him. He darts across the block and burrows into Kankri's embrace. Kankri drops a kiss between his horns. "Hello, little one."

"Is Gamzee coming here?" Karkat whispers.

"He is," Kankri tells him.

"Why? Is he in trouble?" Karkat's voice wavers.

Kankri shakes his head. "No, no. He's just going to stay with us for a while." He rubs at Karkat's back. "Is that alright with you?"

Karkat nods. "Uh-huh. Can he sleep in my block? I'll share my pile with him."

"We'll see," Kankri tells him.

Latula laughs. "Least someone around here's happy," she says. "I should be jettin'. Later, Kankri."

She leans forwards into Kankri's space and does something above his head that Karkat can't see. He just feels Kankri shaky little breath.

"Good bye, Latula," Kankri says.

Karkat hears the front door shut.

Porrim sighs. "You let her have too many liberties."

"Porrim, please, not in front of Karkat," Kankri sounds distressed and it makes Karkat look up.

Porrim presses her lips together and sighs again. "I am sorry." She reaches out and strokes Kankri's hair. "Kanny you should get some rest."

Kankri shakes his head. "When Cronus comes home."

"Alright," Porrim says softly. She keeps stroking Kankri's hair.

Karkat rests his head on Kankri's chest. He'll stay up too, he decides. That way he can take Gamzee to his room straight away.

Kankri paps his back softly, it makes Karkat want to close his eyes. He guesses maybe he does, because next thing he knows he's waking up to the sound of Cronus' voice.

He opens his eyes and sees Cronus carrying Gamzee. He crawls out of Kankri's lap and runs across the block. "Gamzee!"

Gamzee's face is tear stained and he's clutching his stuffed toy. Cronus puts him on the ground and Karkat wraps him in a hug. The adults are talking, but Karkat doesn't care. He's got to take care of Gamzee.

He paps Gamzee's face gently. "You can sleep in my pile tonight," he tells his friend.

Gamzee sniffs and nods. "Okay, best friend," he whispers in a watery voice.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you," Karkat says.

Karkat takes Gamzee's hand and leads him to his respiteblock. He helps Gamzee take his shoes off and cuddles up against him when he climbs into the pile. Karkat pulls blankets over them and holds Gamzee's hands under the blankets.

"Kurloz went away," Gamzee whispers. He clutches at Karkat. "He went away into the woods. Didn't even say goodbye or nothing."

Karkat paps him. "Why?"

"I don't up and know," Gamzee sounds ready to start crying. "An' the grown ups say me and Nepeta can't be staying with Meulin no more."

That doesn't seem fair to Karkat, but the adults must have a reason. Right? "It'll be okay," Karkat assures Gamzee. "You'll see."

Gamzee trills. Karkat nuzzles him.

"You can sleep in my pile and play with me everyday. Cronus and Kankri are nice." He nuzzles Gamzee again. "You'll get to see Tavros at Porrim's too."

"Yeah, that’d be righteous," Gamzee whispers.

"Yeah," Karkat agrees.

Gamzee starts crying though. Karkat feels his own eyes grow wet, but he shooshs and paps his friend. He holds onto him tight and tries to make it better. Though he has the awful feeling he can't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If your curious about the universe of the fic or bits of back story, check out my tumblr (http://kijikun.tumblr.com/). I open up my ask box for question from time to time for questions about my fics as well.


	7. Chapter 7

The hive is hushed in the early morning light.

Cronus lays on his back, staring at the ceiling. Kankri is curled up against him. His matesprit is still asleep.

It should feel like the nightmare is over. Kurloz is gone from the village. Kankri is safe. The children are safe.

Things will be okay now.

But it doesn't feel that way. There's a mixture of fear and fury swirling inside him waiting to explode outwards. Cronus dreamt of Kurloz's blood on his claws.

Cronus digs his claws in, just slightly, as Kankri starts to shift away.

"Cronus?" Kankri's voice is sleep slurred.

He buried his face in the crook between Kankri's neck and shoulder, where his scent is strongest. Cronus breathes in deep.

Kankri's fingers stroke through his hair then around the base of his horns. "Cronus?"

Cronus shakes his head sharply and rolls them so Kankri is pinned beneath him. He can't find his words, can only whirr low and possessive in his throat.

The answering trill from Kankri does things to him.

He sets his teeth against the tender skin where Kankri's scent is the strongest. He bites down, his weight keeping Kankri still for it.

Kankri's trill goes sharp. "Cr-Cronus --" 

But he lets Cronus do it.

Cronus doesn't ease up until he tastes blood. He runs his tongue over the damaged skin again and again, until he can barely taste Kankri's blood. Then he rubs his face against Kankri's throat, marking himself in candy red.

Kankri's fingers are wrapped around Cronus horns, his legs spread around Cronus' hips. Pailing is the last thing on Cronus' mind. He rubs his face against Kankri's throat again, he restrains himself from rubbing his horns there as well..

When Cronus lifts his face, Kankri's claws trace where his blood is smeared. There are questions and shame in Kankri's bright red eyes. Cronus kisses Kankri, sharing the taste of his blood that still lingers on his tongue.

"Why?" Kankri whispers, voice shaky.

"I'm not ashamed to vwear your color," Cronus growls.

Kankri flushes deep. It's such an archaic thing to say, to even want.

 _I would make blood flow in your honor,_ Cronus thinks with a fierceness that should scare him. But he's willing to become something sharp and ruthless if it keeps Kankri and the children safe.

Kankri wraps his thin arms around Cronus and holds on tightly. "Don't say such things," he admonishes. "These practices were abandoned for good reason, Cronus. I don't need such gestures and the sight of my blood on you could be triggering to some."

It's a far cry from Kankri's normal lecturing tone.

"Maybe I need it," Cronus counters softly, he kisses the bite mark he left. It'll be hidden by Kankri's sweater, but he'll know its there. "Not like you have a symbol for me to vwhere."

Kankri's claws dig in, just a little. "You shouldn't need more than to know that I am yours."

Cronus bites his tongue on Latula's name. He rolls off of Kankri, but the other troll curls at his side instead of moving away. "I'm staying home vwith you and the children today."

"Meenah might need you," Kankri points out.

"Fuck Meenah," Cronus growls.

"Cronus," Kankri says softly. "We cannot let the events of the past day be a setback to the village. Your duties are important."

Cronus shakes his head sharply. "You and the boys are important!"

To his shock Kankri growls, softly, but the sound is still there. "And this village being safe and stable is what will ensure Karkat and Eridan being safe, happy, and feed. We will be at Porrim's. I can assure you we will be alright."

"Karkat vwent missing from Porrim's," Cronus argues. "You and the children vwill stay here in the hive."

Kankri rises up to his knees. "You will not dictate my actions, Cronus. I find it highly triggering and I will not stand for being treated like your kept --" he cuts off, clicking sharply. "There is also the fact that the children will see being kept from their playmates as punishment. Karkat and Gamzee especially need reinforcement that they are not in trouble."

Cronus looks up at Kankri’s expression. He's torn between the part of him that wants to chain Kankri to the bed if that will keep him from harm and keep him as Cronus' and the part that is downright horrified by the other part. He gets to his knees and wraps his arms around Kankri.

"I pity you so much," he says into Kankri's mouth before kissing him. "I pity you like a tsunami."

Kankri kisses him back before whispering, "Don't let Kurloz change us."

Cronus rests his forehead against Kankri's and takes a shaky breath. "Just stay in the hive, just for today. Please."

"Just for today," Kankri agrees.

They stay like that for far too long.

Kankri lets Cronus wear his blood until they hear the children waking. Only then does he make him wash his face clean.

The scent, though, stays behind.

***

Kankri is reading to the children when he hears a soft knock at the hive door. He thinks about ignoring it. The boys are piled together all asleep but Gamzee. Gamzee is clinging to one side of Karkat and Eridan holding Karkat's hand on the other side and Kankri is reluctant to disturb them by rising to get the door.

There's another soft, but firm knock. Gamzee looks up at him with wide watchful eyes, so much like Kurloz but yet so different. Kankri strokes his wild hair gently. "I'll be right back," he promises.

Gamzee nods, but doesn't say anything. He's strangely quiet, only whispering things to Karkat.

Kankri thinks maybe that's normal. He tries not to fear that its a sign that Kurloz dared touch Gamzee's mind.

But it wouldn't have been the first time.

Kankri rises and walks to the door. He thinks perhaps its Porrim, though the knock sounds wrong. Maybe Rufioh or Horuss bringing Nepeta by to see Gamzee?

When he opens the door, he doesn't see a troll at all. It's Jake that stands on the porch, holding Jade by the hand. The little girl looks more subdued than Kankri has ever seen her.

"Hello," Jake says, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Jade was worried when she didn't see Karkat or Gamzee at Porrim's. I thought I'd bring her by so she could see they're right as rain. If that's alright with you."

Jade tugs at Jake's shirt. "And I want to say sorry," she says, looking up at Kankri. "It was my idea. Don't make Karkat be in trouble. I was the bad one."

Jake's face does this odd shift of pride and sorrow. "Jade, honey..."

Kankri kneels down. "Jade," Kankri starts in his calmest voice. "I assure you Karkat is not in any trouble. Nor is Gamzee. In any case, you were not 'bad' at all. You just wished to make Karkat happy. Is that right?"

Jade nods. "He was sad about Gamzee." She rubs her eyes. "I wanted to un-sad him." 

Kankri understands that. Jade is at the right age for a first flush crush. It's hard to tell a flush crush from a pale crush at this stage, but Jade wanting Karkat happy and attempting to shift punishments from him to herself are common signs of a crush. He assumes human children are similar in this. A certain amount of exploration and starting to travel to other trolls’ hives was normal at this stage. Had Meulin been the one at the hive yesterday nothing much would have come of this.

"I'm very happy Karkat has you looking out for him in that regard. Karkat is asleep at the moment, but if you would like to come in and say hello to Gamzee that would be fine."

Jade nods and looks up at Jake.

"Yeah, that's fine," he says.

Once in the living room, Kankri watches Gamzee's eyes light up just a bit at the site of Jade. Karkat and Eridan are still asleep, but Gamzee holds out a hand to Jade and she hurries over. She joins the tangle of limbs on the couch and pets at Karkat's hair over Gamzee's body. The two starts to whisper back and forth.

"Thank you." Jake says softly. "She didn't really sleep last night and she was crying at Porrim's. And thank you for not blaming her."

"It's fine," Kankri says honestly. "I blame myself more for not keeping a closer eye on them. And if anything we should be sorry for Jade being dragged into the issue with Kurloz."

Kankri had been almost afraid to ask Latula to check Karkat's mind. He can't imagine what fears Jake must have not really understanding the situation.

"I got the feeling no one knew it was an issue," Jake says, watching Jade with a protectiveness that Kankri understands.

Kankri shakes his head. "None of us wanted it to be an issue. Kurloz has been our friend for a great number of years. To admit we had let -- " he trails off not wanting to call Kurloz 'evil' even now. "I'm almost glad he chose to exile himself into the forest."

Jake clears his throat and nods his head towards Gamzee. "Was taking the kids from cat-girl really necessary?"

"I - " Kankri stops again. "Meulin has been under Kurloz influence for a very long time."

Jake looks like there's something he wants to say, but in the end he says nothing. They stand in silence watching the children. Kankri's a little surprised that out of the human children it’s Jade that's been drawn so strongly to Karkat and accepted so thoroughly by Gamzee. John, after all, had been Karkat's matesprit before, but the connections he sees between these three is astounding for their young age.

"I should take her to Roxy so I can try and get some hunting done," Jake finally says. "Jane's concerned about supplies since we don't know exactly when winter will hit."

"Would you allow me to watch her?" Kankri asks. He's not sure what 'winter' is, but it's always good to have more food stores. "I know you have no reason to trust me after what happened, but I believe it would do her and the boys good to have some calm time together."

Jake bites his bottom lip. "Dirk will have a fit, but yeah I think you're right." He smiles slightly. "And I really don't think you should be blaming yourself, chap. You weren't the only adult watching the kids."

It's nice of Jake to say, but Kankri isn't sure if he believes him. Still, Jake moves over to the couch and drops a kiss on Jade's forehead. Gamzee hangs onto her hand like a lifeline. 

"Jade, I'm going to do some hunting. Kankri is going to watch you for a few hours. No adventures today, alright?"

Jade pouts slightly, then nods. "No adventures," she promises.

When Jake leaves, Kankri picks up the book unsure if he should keep reading or leave the children be for a while.

"Jade ain't heard the first part of this fine book," Gamzee says a little hesitantly. "Could you maybe up and start over?"

Kankri nods and sits back on the couch. "Yes, I can certainly do that."

Gamzee smiles and Jade beams.

The tension that’s been sitting in Kankri's chest for most of the day uncurls just a little.

He starts the book over from the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the wonderful comments and all the encouragement!


	8. Chapter 8

Cronus enters the hive to the sound of laughter. 

"Our magic wwill protect you!" Eridan laughs.

"Yes!" Cronus is pretty sure that's Jade's voice. "Stand behind us brave Prince and his loyal bard."

Cronus comes around the corner and finds the four children in the middle of the livingblock. The couch cushions are piled up like an entrance of a cave.

Gamzee shakes his head. "No, witch-sis, just magic ain't up for slaying the dragon."

"We must combine your magic and my sword!" Karkat declares, holding up a wooden soon. 

"I'll enchant your swword wwith my mighty wwizard magic!" Eridan says eagerly. 

Of, course Eridan would pretend to be a wizard, Cronus thinks. They would have that much in common. It makes him feel uneasy in a way he doesn't want to think about when the kids are so obviously happy.

Kankri comes up besides him and slides an arm around his waist. 

"Vwhen did the livingblock get a dragon installed?" Cronus asks, keeping his voice light.

Kankri chuckles. "About the time they defeated the Lich that seemed to be living under the couch," he explains. "Jake dropped Jade off earlier to spend some time with Gamzee and Karkat."

"Oh," Cronus says. "Jake's a good kid." He watches the children creep up towards the 'cave' and wonders what they see in their 'pans. Is it all imagination or do the remember monsters from the game?

Jade uses her 'magic' to make the 'cave' collapsed on the dragon. Karkat rushes up and stabs the dragon with his enchanted 'sword'. Then they dance around cheering for each other.

"Vwell done, brave heroes," Cronus says laughing. He can't help it, they look so happy and innocent. "You have courageously saved the livingblock." 

"Wwe wworked together," Eridan says proudly. It makes Cronus want to gather him up and never let anything bad touch him.

Jade nods, she's holding Karkat and Gamzee's hands, but she's smiling at Eridan. "Between the two of us nothing can defeat our magic."

Something remembered from long ago stabs at Cronus. He pushes it away.

"I think, though, with this victory it is time for Jade to go home to her hive," Kankri says.

"Can't we up and keep her?" Gamzee asks.

Karkat nods in agreement. "She can sleep in the pile with me and Gamzee."

Jade shakes her head. "John would get sad if I didn't go home," she tells them. "But I'll come play again."

"I'll take her," Cronus offers to Kankri. He mostly doesn't want Kankri out alone in the falling darkness. Kuloz might be gone from the village, but Cronus doesn't trust him to stay gone.

Kankri frowns just a bit, but nods. "Alright, if you're sure."

"It's two hives down, I'm sure," Cronus tells Kankri, kissing his jaw. "Need to talk to Dirk besides."

Jade says her goodbyes to the boys, giving them each a hug. Her and Karkat hug each other a bit longer though, in way that's cute now but Cronus as a feeling will cause issues when they’re older.

Cronus takes Jade's hand and walks with her out into the falling darkness. "Did you have fun today?" he asks Jade.

"Yes," Jade chirps. "And I made Karkat and Gamzee not sad."

He squeezes her hands gently. "Thanks for that, kitten."

***

Jane working in the kitchen when she hears Jade's voice and the low tones of Dirk's. She wipes her hands and moves towards the livingroom. The other children are over with Roxy and Calliope and she wasn't expecting Jade home until Jake brought her back.

"And then Karkat took his sword and he killed the dragon!" Jade exclaims breathlessly, as Jane rounds the corner.

Jade's up in Dirk's arms, her little legs and arms wrapped around him. Cronus is leaning against the wall smiling. 

"Sounds like you had a busy day," Dirk says, in the soft fond tone he only uses with the kids. "John, Dave, and Robin will want to hear all about this. They'll be impressed."

Jade squeals happily. "Didja know Karkat's a knight? Just like Dave and Robin! He's really brave too!"

"I'm sure he is," Dirk agrees and kisses her forehead. "Go play in your room for a while, okay? I need to talk boring stuff with Cronus."

Jane can almost hear Jade's pout. "Will you come play with me after?" 

Dirk nods. "Yeah." He sits her down on the floor and watches her go towards her room. Jane watches his face turn serious and closed off as he looks back at Cronus. "Why was she over your place anyway?"

"Jake probably took her," Jane interrupts, walking closer and into Cronus and Dirk's field of vision. "He couldn't exactly take her hunting with him."

Dirk's jaw twitches and Jane resists the urge to tell him off for the fit he'll throw at Jake later. "Ah."

"I don't think keeping Karkat and Jade apart vwould be a good thing for either of them," Cronus remarks. "They seem pretty attached. Vwhich means Gamzee's attached to her, being Karkat moirail."

Something about that makes Dirk untense just a little. Jane's not sure why. "We don't need them sneaking to see each other that's for sure," Dirk says dryly. "Not with that clown lurking around."

"I thought he left the village," Jane says, frowning. 

Cronus snorts. "Trusting him to stay gone vwould be a mistake."

Dirk nods in agreement. "I'm glad someone else agrees. What is going to be done about it?"

Cronus crosses his arms. "Meenah vwon't let me kill him so that's out. If your lot is vwilling to help with stepped up patrols that would be start though."

"Who's been patrolling before this?" Dirk asks.

"Mostly me and Meenah. Rufioh does an aerial patrol sometimes." Cronus shakes his head. "Vwe don't need Kurloz being able to come back in vwhenever he vwants."

Jane holds a hand up. "Okay, what makes you think Kurloz will want to come back? Didn't he go off into the woods on his own?"

"He's a crazy juggalo zealot, Jane," Dirk tells her. 

Cronus' mouth is tight. "And vwe're all non-believers. He's been manipulating and mind-fucking people since vwev were all barely pupated. I don't think he's stopping nowv."

"It might not matter come winter what he's planning," Jane points out. "If lack of food doesn't kill him, exposure will."

Cronus blinks at her. "Winter?"

Jane nods. "Haven't you noticed how it's getting colder? Or the nights are getting longer?"

"You mean dark season?" Cronus asks.

"Does it get cold and snow during dark session?" Jane asks. "Food gets harder to find?" 

"No," Cronus says, dragging his fingers through his hair. "Fuck, vwe need to have a meeting if that's going to happen."

Dirk gives a shrug. "Jane's the expert. It never really got cold where I lived. Jake grew up pretty much in the jungle and I don't think Roxy went outside."

Cronus pinches the bridge of his nose for second. "Back to the patrol issue. You vwilling to take turns on different patrol shifts?"

Dirk folds his arms and nods. "I think the five of us would be willing."

"Four," Cronus says with grimace. "No offence, chief, but none of us are going to trust that fake troll girl."

"You don't trust us humans," Dirk points out acidly. 

Jane elbows him in the ribs. "Calliope is one of us. You can trust her."

Cronus shows his teeth. Jane has to force herself not to step back in knee-jerk fear. "Kurloz vwas one of us and some of us used to trust him." He turns and heads to the door. "Tell me or Meenah tomorrowv about the patrol."

The door slams behind him. 

Dirk punches the wall. "Fucking trolls."

Jane grabs his hands before he can land another blow. "Stop abusing the wall."

"It was askin' for it," he drawls, a hint of a smile of his lips. 

She rolls her eyes. "I'm sure it was. Look I don't like their mistrust of us or Callie any more than you but they have no reason to trust us. You said that yourself. Now chill out, go play with Jade, and if you even start to give Jake a hard time you can make your own dinner."

"Jake likes me giving him a hard time," Dirk leers.

Jane smacks his knuckles and pushes him down the hall towards Jade and John's room.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cronus and Kankri have some private adult time.

Cronus awakes sometimes in the night unsettled and wary. Kankri is asleep beside him, dreams apparently untroubled. 

Cronus skims his fingers across Kankri's jaw up into his hair and across one of his nubby horns. Kankri shifts closer but stays asleep. 

Slipping from the bed, he pulls on his jeans. He notices how threadbare they’re getting, but there's nothing to be done about it. There was a time not too long ago he would have angsted about his jeans and his 'look' - but he's got more important things to worry about. His matesprit. _Three_ wrigglers that need looking after.

He walks through the hive, looking in on Eridan who is fast asleep in his pile and then on Karkat and Gamzee curled together. He checks the windows, the doors. 

Pushing open the front door he steps into the cold night air. Jane's right, it is getting colder. He'd thought it was just a sign of the dark season, but maybe they should be more concerned. 

His fingers twitch and for the first time in what seems like months he craves a cigarette. Cronus scans the darkness not expecting to see anything. He thinks he sees movement, a shadow moving across the open areas between hives, but it’s gone when he looks a second time.

Cronus shakes his head, telling himself he's imagining things. He goes back inside, barring the door behind him. Something akin to fear makes him check on the children again. He stands watching Eridan sleep for longer than necessary.

He tucks Eridan's blanket more securely around him and brushes back his bangs. "I vwon't let your dreams get stolen," he promises in a whisper.

Kankri is still asleep when he goes back to bed. Cronus nuzzles at his matesprit's throat, breathing in his scent, letting it ground him. He drags his tongue across the bite mark he'd left behind.

There's a soft trill from Kankri and Cronus raises his head. Kankri's eyes flutter open and for a brief horrifying moment Kankri's eyes aren't red. His eyes are blank and --

Cronus makes a harsh _ch-ch_. Kankri blinks sleepy and his eyes are again a comforting candy red. 

"Cronus?"

He gathers Kankri into his arms and buries his face in Kankri's throat. He imagined it. He imagined it. He squeezes his eyes closed, breathing out harshly through his teeth. Kurloz isn't going to take this from him.

Careful fingers thread through his hair. "Cronus? Did you have a nightmare?" Kankri's voice is still thick with sleep.

Cronus laughs shakely. "Yeah, just a nightmare."

Kankri traces the lightning curve of Cronus' horns, soothing him. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

Cronus slides his hands down to Kankri's hips. "Can't remember," he lies.

Kankri hums softly and keeps stroking Cronus' horns. "Are you sure?" 

He lifts his head and kisses Kankri softly. "Kan, I don't vwanna talk about it."

Kankri hums again and kisses him back. He eases his legs apart around Cronus' hips. "Do you want to -- " he trails off, a red flush settling across his cheeks. "It always soothes you."

It would be so easy to lose himself in Kankri's body. Kankri shifts under him, their bulge sheaths pressing together through their clothes, and Cronus lets out a shuddering breath. "Kan, babe, are you sure? I don't need --"

Kankri’s teeth nip at Cronus’ throat, close to his gills. "It's been days," he almost whines, he's flushing up to his ears now. He looks so pitiful, it's enough to make Cronus want to push aside what he thought he saw and just take his matesprit.

Cronus bulge swells a bit in its sheath. "You vwant me to pail you, hey?" 

Kankri trills, arching his back, pushing their hips together. "I - I think we both need it."

Cronus gives a responding trill. He skims his hands down Kankri's side, then back up again, savoring the shiver it sends through Kankri's body. They kiss, slow and tender.

It's not much effort to shed what little clothes they wear and they both groan when they press bare skin to bare skin against each other. Cronus' hands roam over Kankri. His bulge curls around Kankri's in a lazy spiral. 

Kankri's hand wraps around one of Cronus' horns, fingers playing around the base where Cronus is most sensitive. It wrecks him in the best possible way."Pity you so much," Cronus gasps into the hollow of Kankri's throat. 

He worries the bite mark with his teeth, shuddering as Kankri's hand tightens around his horn. "Cronus, please," Kankri gasps, his bulge trying to shift Cronus' to where Kankri needs it most.

Cronus normally tries to get Kankri to ask for it, to beg to have his nook filled. Tonight he fills Kankri up at just that soft please. His own nook is wet and needy, but part of Cronus likes this one sided claiming. 

His bulge coils and moves inside Kankri, driving the most delicious sounds out of Kankri's throat. He cups his own hands over Kankri's small horns and breathes into Kankri's mouth. "Mine."

Kankri trills, claws digging into the mattress. 

"You're mine aren't you, Kan?" Cronus purrs.

Kankri makes a series of sounds that makes heat pool in Cronus' gut. 

He moves his bulge faster in Kankri, feeling the way Kankri's thighs tremble against his sides. "Say it," he demands. 

"Yours," Kankri whines. "Yours, Cronus - hnn-" 

His nook spasms around Cronus, his body shaking. The rhythmic tightening and the hot rush of Kankri's orgasm, coupled with Kankri's broken voice declaring himself Cronus', drive Cronus over the edge. He doesn't have time to think of the bucket under the bed.

He spills his genetic material inside Kankri, his vision going white with pleasure.

After, he nuzzles at Kankri's throat wondering if he should apologize for the mess he's made of them both. Kankri nuzzles him back just above his gills.

"Pity you," Kankri whispers.

Cronus breathes in Kankri’s scent and gets a little thrill at how thoroughly its mixed with his own. "Pity you right back."

They don't move to clean up for a long time.

***

It seems amazing to Kankri how easily children adapt. He watches them play, their shrieks and laughter filling the chilly air. Jade, with the help of Eridan and John, has coaxed Karkat from his side and his little descendant is now playing a game that seems to involve mostly running and laughing. Even Vriska's been allowed to play this game.

Gamzee is only a few feet away sitting with Tavros and Kanaya. Tavros is putting brightly colored leaves in Gamzee's hair, which seems to delight the other boy. Nepeta is playing a game that seems to consist of stalking the other children, pouncing them, then running back behind Equius. Every time she does, little Araida bursts into giggles. Aradia seems to have the almost undivided attention of Equius and Sollux. Feferi is sitting with Rose and Terezi - who seems to be eating a crayon and he's rather sure that isn't good for her but no one else seems concerned - listening to Roxy read. 

It's been a week since -- everything. The village is still on edge with patrols day and night. Cronus gets up in the night and stalks the hive like a restless spirit. 

The children seem happy though, if they can sense the tension it doesn't bother them at all. Even Gamzee and Nepeta who found themselves abruptly in new hives, seem settled. 

Gamzee still shares Karkat's pile, but Kankri can't see anything wrong with that if it helps Gamzee feel secure. Gamzee is a happy go lucky child for the most part and if he's missing Kurloz or Meulin he doesn't tell Kankri and Cronus.

"You seem lost in thought," Porrim comments, sitting down beside him. 

He shrugs. "Perhaps I am. There has been a good deal to contemplate of late."

Karkat stumbles and tumbles to the ground with a cry. Kankri darts to his feet, but Porrim grabs his wrist. "Wait," she tells him.

Jade is there helping Karkat up, along with Eridan. She brushes him off then takes his hand leading him over to Gamzee. Jade pulls him down by Gamzee's side and starts putting leaves in his hair. Karkat bats them away, but Jade keeps putting them back in. Kanaya giggles behind her hand, and Tavros laughs. 

"You see?" Porrim's voice is warm.

Kankri sits back down. "Do you think they are perhaps too attached for their age?"

She pats his hand. "I think we need to remember that they have memories of being far older than they are now. Those memories may be clouded, but they are still there."

"Jade wasn't Karkat's matesprit," Kankri says with a soft sigh. "I expected more attachment to John."

Porrim hums softly. "I think you should look at it as how fortunate that Karkat and Gamzee have a friend in her. She and John are responsible for most of the mingling between our children and the human children."

He looks out across the makeshift play yard, at the children playing. Human and troll alike. "If only it was that easy between us and the older humans."

"They are but children as well. I think we should remember that," Porrim says almost sadly. She shakes her head. "Have you seen Meulin? I'm worried about her."

Kankri shakes his head. "No, I haven't. I heard Horuss tried to coax her into staying with him and Rufioh, but she refused."

"I worry for her," Porrim says again. "The way she gave up Gamzee and Nepeta without a fight -- I expected her to fight."

Kankri looks away from Porrim and back at the children. Nepeta has crept up to Gamzee and is batting at the colored leaves in his hair. Gamzee is laughing. 

"I know you didn't approve of taking them," Kankri says. "But Kurloz --"

"Damn Kurloz," Porrim hisses. "We're talking about Meulin. We might as well have all blamed her for Kurloz's behavior and what he might have done to her. We have isolated her. You know what that feels like, Kankri."

Kankri bites his lip. "Cronus and Meenah thought it best."

Porrim hisses again. "Neither of whom make very good decisions sometimes. And since when do you hide behind the edicts of those with power over others?"

He whips his head towards her. "Since I have children to protect," he hisses. "Since I have a fellow mutant blood to shield. What good are my ideals here? What good is anything I've ever said? Cronus protects us - I - he -"

"Kanny," Porrim says softly, almost desperately. "Please tell me you are not with Cronus because he's a violet blood."

Kankri is momentarily stunned into silence that she would ask such a thing. It stills his tongue for longer than is wise. A dark expression comes over Porrim's features.

"No, Porrim, no," he finally manages. "How could you ask me such a thing?"

Porrim doesn't look convinced. "You were celibate, then as if out of nowhere you were with him."

Kankri regrets never telling her of his flush pinning for Cronus. He only spoke of Latula when he spoke of such things. If he talked to her of Cronus, if he admitted how Cronus made his thoughts stray maybe she'd believe him now. 

"I have pitied him for sweeps," he whispers. "Long before he looked at me with flushed intentions." 

Porrim presses her lips together into a firm line for moment. "I just want you to be happy, Kanny."

"You can start by not calling me that," Kankri points out.

It's an obvious ploy to change the subject, but she allows it and laughs. The sound is slightly strained, but she tries. "You used to like it," she teases.

"Slander," Kankri protests. "I was three sweeps, I didn't know any better."

Porrim squeezes his hand, lacing their fingers together like she used to when they were small. 

It's comforting that something will never change.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seasons change. Accidents happen.

Karkat sits between Jade and Gamzee while John goes around then patting their heads and saying duck. He doesn't know what a duck is, but John said when he says goose the person he pats is supposed to get up and chase him while he tries to get to their spot. If he gets caught he has to go in the center 'stew pot' and the other person is 'it'. Dave and Robin are playing too - they know the game. Terezi is even playing though Karkat is worried she'll trip and fall.

He thinks it’s really silly sounding game, but he likes playing with the human kids. They have tons of fun games he's never heard off. 

John's hands are brightly colored in their mittens. They all have mittens that Porrim, Rose, and Callie made for them. 

His breath is coming out all smoke. It's colder lately. All the trees have lost most of their leaves. The adults have been acting weird. He's heard Kankri and Cronus talking about winter and having enough food - which is silly. They have tons of food. Cronus and Meenah go fishing every day!

He asked Jade about winter. She said she thought it was when it got really cold and snow came down, but she never had winter on her island. John said winter was lots of fun and you got to build snowmen. Karkat's not sure building creatures of snow sounds fun, but John knows about this stuff.

John pats his head, intoning 'duck', then Gamzee's head. Gamzee honks, which makes everyone laugh. 

When John gets to Dave, he gets this little smile and then shrieks out, "Goose!" and runs.

"Hey!" Dave yells, getting to his feet to chase John. 

Karkat thinks Dave might actually catch him when there is a scream from Tavros and a loud thud. He's on his feet with all the other kids, staring towards the tree. 

Tavros is lying on the ground crying. Vriska is laughing as she climbs down. "Can't you fly Pupa?" she mocks. 

Gamzee growls and Karkart's bloodpusher goes up into his chitinous windhole. He grabs Gamzee's wrist before the other boy can move. Jade grabs Gamzee's other wrist. 

"I''m gonna up and make her sorry!" Gamzee growls, struggling to break free. "Let me go."

Karkat shakes his head, terrified for reasons he can't explain. He just knows he can't let Gamzee go. And he's so mad at Vriska. 

Kankri and Porrim are at Tavros' side, helping him sit up. Karkat wants to know what's going to happen to Tavros - is he really badly hurt? Will -- will something bad happen to him now?

He reaches up and paps Gamzee's face. "Shoosh, shoosh," he whispers. "It'll be okay. See he's okay."

"Vriska's not worth getting in trouble over," Jade adds. "Let's go see Tavros instead, okay?"

Gamzee whines, but stops struggling and sort of slumps all across Karkat. He paps Gamzee's face again and rubs their sniffnodes together. Jade paps Gamzee's back.

John marches past them all the way up to Vriska who looks pleased with herself in a way that make Karkat feel a little sick.

"That was mean!" John yells at her. "You’re mean! You could have really hurt Tav. You - you can't play with us anymore!"

Then he marches over to Tavros and sits down with him.

Vriska whole face crumbles and she starts crying. Big wailing sobs. 

Porrim stands up and takes Vriska's hand then leads her toward Aranea's hive. 

Karkat paps Gamzee's face again. "Want to go see Tavros?"

Gamzee nods and Karkat leads him over as best he can with most of Gamzee's weight on him. Tavros is still crying, but softer now. Kankri is talking to him softly and paping his back. Karkat isn't jealous - Tavros is hurt that's all. 

"Hey, Tav-bro," Gamzee says, unfolding himself from Karkat. He sits down next to Tavros and takes his hand. 

"Hi, Gamzee," Tavros sniffs. "My ankle really hurts."

"Sorry to up and hear that," Gamzee whispers. 

Jade laces her fingers with Karkat's and squeezes his hand. 

He wants to ask Kankri what's going to happen. He wants to know why Vriska did that to Tavros who's always nice to her. 

There's a shout, and Jane is running up.

Kankri and Jane talk in hushed voices for a few seconds, then Kankri is getting to his feet. Jane hovers over Tavros, rolling up his pants leg to look at his ankle.

"Come children, let's go inside," Kankri says firmly. 

"Not leavin' Tav-bro," Gamzee says with a hint of a whine.

Jane pats his shoulder. "You can stay and keep Tavros company," she says.

Equius stomps up at that moment and plants himself by Tavros as well. He crosses his arms over his chest and gives the impression of an unmovable object. 

Neither Kankri nor Jane object, though Karkat expects them too. But Jane's a human and the humans are different and Kankri is -- Kankri. Karkat doesn't think he'd ever not be safe.

When they're back inside, Karkat crawls up in Kankri's lap. "Will Tavros be - will he be safe?" he whispers.

Kankri strokes his back. "Why wouldn't he be? Jane will take care of him. She's a life player remember? Roxy went to fetch Rufioh. It'll be alright."

Karkat isn't sure why he has this awful feeling inside. He just does. "Bad things happen if you get hurt bad."

"He just hurt his ankle," Kankri assures him quickly. He hugs Karkat and kisses his forehead. "It -- even if Tavros was hurt worse than he is, nothing bad would happen to him. We would all make sure he got better as quick as possible."

Karkat hides his face in Kankri's sweater. "Vriska hurt him before," he whispers like a secret.

Kankri goes still. "When was this?"

"Before," Karkat voice shakes. It makes his head hurt thinking about this. "I think it was bad. I think -- "

"Shoosh," Kankri tells him. "That doesn't matter now. Something will be done about Vriska. She won't be hurting anyone again."

Karkat clings tighter and wonders why Kankri's words scare him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the awesome comments. <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The adults deal with what happened between Tavros and Vriska.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: Universe-c

Kankri slumps against Cronus feeling exhausted after the day’s events. Cronus rubs at his shoulders, humming softly. 

"Kids get hurt, Kan," Cronus says. "It happens. I broke my vwrist vwhen I vwasn't much older than Tavros."

That really doesn't make him feel much better. "I'm more concerned that it happened under supervision and that Vriska didn't seem to understand what she'd done was wrong."

He's still concerned by the fact he noticed Jade and Karkat holding Gamzee back. He knows from Horuss that Nepeta kept Equius from going after Vriska, as well. Things could have gotten very bad, very quickly. 

"Kids vwill be kids. I mean vwe all got into scrapes around that age, but vwe vwere left to vwork them out ourselves," Cronus says.

Kankri frowns pulling away and turning to face Cronus. "Would you feel that way if it was Eridan or Karkat that had been hurt?"

Cronus' face goes cold and hard for a moment. "No, I vwouldn't," he admits. "I'd be furious."

"I think that there are things the adults of our world shouldn't have turned a blind eye to," Kankri says softly. He shakes his head. He doesn't want to think about that right now. "And Alterina was nothing but children. Karkat didn't remember how, but he knew Vriska had hurt Tavros before."

He leans forward, folding his hands before him, and tries to order his thoughts. Mediating between Aranea and Horuss and Rufioh hadn't been easy. He'd had to tap into his blood powers and he hated that. Kankri distanced himself from being Seer of Blood for a reason. 

Cronus rubs his back. "Karkat remembers more than most of them."

"We almost had a revengemurder cycle start up, Cronus. If Gamzee and Equius hadn't been held back, I'm not sure Vriska would have survived. They aren't even three sweeps old yet," Kankri says softly. "Aranea is already defending Vriska, Horuss and Rufioh are already angry - between Jane and I we calmed them down. Aranea agreed that Vriska needed to be talked to and have privileges removed - Jane called it being grounded. Horuss and Rufioh agreed that Vriska probably didn't have a concept of how badly she could have hurt Tavros and might not even understand why she pushed him. I'm not sure there would have been talking to either party had Gamzee or Equius reached Vriska."

He lets out a shaky breath. 

"You vwould have managed it," Cronus assures him. "You got a magic tongue, babe."

"This is hardly the time for flattery and flirting, Cronus," Kankri half-whines. 

It does help though that Cronus thinks so highly of his abilities.

"Point is, Kan, that everyone is calm, now, and things got settled. Tavros didn't get hurt too bad. Vriska, vwell maybe she'll learn about the consequences of hurting one’s friends - don't think Alterina or that Spider-lusus taught her much of that." He wraps an arm around Kankri's middle and pulls him back against Cronus' chest. "You did good, crisis averted."

Kankri isn't sure they understand much better about there being consequences to hurting one’s friends. From Kurloz, Meulin, and Mituna - he's not sure Kurloz regrets his role in what happened to his matesprit and moirail at all. To the mess with Rufioh, Horuss, and Damara - Damara still refuses to even live in the village and Kankri's not sure he blames her.

Meenah, as well. She had killed them all, though in the long run that was to save them.

"I cannot take the credit. Jane did quite a bit," Kankri says. 

Cronus snorts. "Jane is a very sweet kitten for a human, but she's still a human. I think Aranea, Horuss, and Rufioh listened to you."

Kankri clicks softly, uncomfortable that Cronus places such faith in him. 

"Cronus? Kankri?" Eridan's soft voice comes the doorway.

"Hey there, chief. Vwhat you doing up?" Cronus asks. 

Eridan stands clutching his stuffed sea-horse. "Is Vvris going to be culled?"

Cronus inhales sharply. Kankri feels his bloodpusher stop for a second.

Cronus finds his voice first. "Eri, vwhy vwould you ask that? Vwhere did you hear that vword?"

"Is she?" Eridan asks again, voice trembling. "She's mean, but she's my friend."

Kankri shakes his head. "No one is going to cull Vriska," he says firmly. 

Cronus untangles himself and gets up. He walks across the room and picks up Eridan, bringing him back to the couch. "Vriska's in trouble for hurting Tavros, but no one is going to hurt her."

Eridan clings, burying his face against Cronus' shoulder. Kankri reaches over to pap his back. "No one in this village is going to cull anyone else," Kankri says. It's rash promise, but one Kankri hopes they can all keep.

Eridan sniffs, making soft little noises of distress. "Promise?"

"Vwe promise," Cronus tells him. "Vwhere did you get the idea Vriska vwould be culled?"

"Kar said Kankri said that Vvris wwouldn’t hurt anyone evver again," Eridan whispers. The dull white of the shoulder of Cronus' shirt is turning violet from tears.

Kankri inhales sharply. He never thought Karkat would take it like that. "She won't be, but not because anyone is hurting or culling her," Kankri assures the little boy. "She will have to apologize to Tavros and she will lose privileges."

Eridan lifts his head a little. "Is Tav okay?"

"Tavros just has a sprained ankle. He'll be fine," Cronus tells him, then kisses his forehead. "C'mon, chief, lets get you back in your pile." 

Kankri watches Cronus carry Eridan down the hall. Are all the children afraid of this? 

He'll talk to Porrim tomorrow - it may be best to explain to the children what's going on.

***

Eridan clings to Cronus as he's place down in his pile. "Stay," the little boy pleads.

"Can't, chief, gotta do patrol," Cronus tells him, smoothing back Eridan's hair. 

Eridan's bottom lip trembles and he makes a soft noise of distress. 

Cronus sighs and sits down by the pile. "I'll stay vwith you for a little bit," he compromises. He remembers clinging a bit of his lusus at this age and, well, Eridan had a bit of a scare. Staying for a little while won't hurt. 

"Kay," Eridan chirps. He burrows into his pile in an adorable fashion. 

Not for the first time Cronus wonders why trolls didn't raise wigglers themselves. Sure the kids are work, but Cronus isn't sure he'd trade it for anything. He reaches out and strokes Eridan's back. 

As the boy settles, he starts to croon softly. The same tune he sang to Karkat so many weeks ago.

He watches as Eridan's eyes flutter closed, his breathing evening out, and sleep overtake him. When he’s sure Eridan is fast asleep he stops singing and gets to his feet. 

Kankri is still on the couch, his hands folded in front of him.

Trolls, Cronus, thought excelled at taking the easy path. It's easier to let lusuii raise the kids. It's easier to not live with your matesprit. 

Fuck easy. He doesn't want easy. He wants Kankri. He wants the kids. Even if he has to work for it.

"You alright?" he asks, running his fingers between Kankri's horns.

Kankri nods and looks up. "Just lost in thought. You going on patrol?"

Cronus bends down and kisses Kankri. "Yeah. Can't leave Rufioh out there all night. He'll be wanting to get home to Tavros and all."

Kankri nods again. "Be careful."

"Alwvays am," Cronus says with a grin. He steals another kiss before he goes.

Once outside he looks for Rufioh doing low swoops over the village. He waves him down and watches with a bit of envy how gracefully Rufioh lands. All of Cronus' grace is in the water and he's fairly aware of that. 

"Cronus," Rufioh greets him.

Cronus eyes him. "You okay there, chief?"

Rufioh's wings droop slightly. "Just tried is all." He glances out towards the forest edge of the village. "Thought I saw something just on the outskirts, near Meulin's hive. Didn't see anything when I went in close."

"Think it was Kurloz?" Cronus ask, shifting his stance to a more alert one. He scans the darkness, but sees nothing in the tree line. The wind blows back his hair, cutting through his coat. 

Yeah, he's pretty damn thankful the people that used to live here left so much behind.

Rufioh shakes his head. And whoa sometimes Cronus forgets how big Rufioh's horns really are.

"I think it was just some local animals. They've been getting more curious about the village. Or, well, Jane thinks this village might have had some domesticated animals - and given its curiosity not fear they feel she might be right." He rubs the back of his neck. "And if Meulin wants to keep inviting Kurloz into her Hive -- not much we can do about that."

Cronus bites his tongue on saying that they could throw Meulin out -- because he really doesn't want that. He just wants what is _his_ safe. "I just want us all safe," he says instead. 

"The kids -- they changed things for all of us, didn't they? Suddenly they're these little creatures we've got to look after. It changes things, doesn't it? " Rufioh says, more than asks. Cronus glances over at him. For maybe the first time Cronus really notices that Rufioh looks different, his clothes are more subdued and practical, he doesn't grin all the time -- he looks older than Cronus can ever remember him looking. 

"How's little Tavros?" Cronus asks. Half to change the subject, half because he actually cares. 

"He's a tough little guy," Rufioh says with a slight smile. "I think all the kids coming by to visit him cheered him up."

Cronus nods. "That's good," he hesitates then pushes on. "Any of yours seem -- vworried?"

Rufioh frowns slightly. "They're worried about Tav getting better, but - " He shakes his head. "Horuss is better with understanding them than me."

"Eridan and Karkat got it into their heads that Vriska was going to be culled," Cronus tells him. He rubs the back of his neck. "Really upset Eri, too. Thought maybe yours had the same fears."

"Equius is pretty mad at Vriska," Rufioh says cautiously. "So I'm not sure he'd care at the moment. Though I'm not sure why they'd think we'd cull Vriska - she just a kid too."

Cronus grimaces. "Alterina vwas pretty fucked up, Rufioh. Don't knowv if yours talk about it much, but Karkat -- poor kid remembers a lot."

"Tav kept asking if he was going to be able to walk," Rufioh says after a moment. "Sorta freaked me out, you know?"

Cronus nods. Yeah, the kids are pretty good at that. "You should get yourself to your hive. You look ready to drop."

Rufioh turns to go then hesitates. "You're different since we got here. What changed?"

Cronus shrugs. "You mean less of a douche? Decided it vwas far past time I grewv the fuck up," he says honestly. "Can't act eight swveeps old forever."

Rufioh laughs softly. "I guess we all have to grow up now." He turns towards his hive. "Be careful, Cronus. Say hello to Kankri for me."

"Get some rest and give Horuss my regards, hey?," Cronus calls after him and starts his patrol.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane visits Roxy and Callie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> beta universe-c

Jane knocks on the door to Callie and Roxy's house then blows on her fingers to warm them. The priority has been getting the kids clothed properly for the coming winter. Of course, this left most of the adults lacking in cold weather clothes - Jane included. She really wishes she had a nice warm pair of mittens.

She's just come from Rufioh and Horuss' house, checking up on little Tavros. He's a brave little boy and seems to be holding up well. She thinks all the children coming by to see him probably helped with that. Poor Horuss though, she doesn't think her own father looked so distressed when she fell out of a tree and broke her arm that one time. Then again maybe he'd just hidden it well.

She blows on her fingers again, then knocks again. It smells like snow. Looks like winter is pretty much here.

There's noise behind the door, then it slides open. Callie smiles shyly at her gestures her inside. 

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. Come in Jane, you must be freezing," Callie says. 

Jane smiles back and steps inside. "It is a little chilly tonight," she says. "I just came by to see how Roxy and Rose are."

"Dirk and Roxy are in the bedroom talking," Callie tells her, then bites her lip. "Roxy blames herself for what happened today."

Jane frowns slightly. "Why would she do that?"

Callie sighs. "Let's sit down and I'll try to explain?"

Jane nods and follows Callie into the living room. It's odd, knowing that this isn't what Callie always looked like. That she didn't always have grey skin and twisted horns. That she's Lord English's sister. 

She sits down on the couch. Callie sits down beside her. "You know how Rose has a lot of nightmares and headaches?" 

Jane nods again. "I thought they were getting a little better?"

Callie shakes her head. "Rose is just learning how to deal with them. And they aren't really nightmares. They're visions. Rose had a vision about Tavros falling from the tree a few nights ago. Roxy -- Roxy hasn't wanted anyone to know. But now she blames herself for not preventing Tavros from getting hurt. "

"Why wouldn't she want anyone to know?" Jane asks with a frown. "And it's no one's fault but Vriska's for pushing Tavros. Roxy should know that."

"I think she's scared for Rose," Callie says softly, looking at her hands. "That others might try to use her."

"We'd never let anything like that happen!" Jane protests.

Callie shakes her head. "Not you -- the trolls. Roxy doesn't trust them. I think she's a little scared of them," Callie voice trembles slightly. "I never thought I'd regret looking like this, but sometimes she looks at me like --"

Jane reaches out and touches Callie's hand. "I'm sure she doesn't mean to."

"I know," Callie whispers. "It still hurts."

Jane scoots closer and wraps the other girl in a hug. "Oh Callie."

Callie after a moment hugs her back. "I'm sorry, you want to know about Rose and I'm -- "

Jane draws back and shakes her head. "It's okay, Callie. You're here all by yourself so much - and that isn't fair."

Callie sniffs and wipes her eyes. "It's not so bad. I have Rose to keep me company a lot of the time. We play all sorts of games and make up lots of stories. I've been writing some of them down." She gives Jane a shaky smile. "And Porrim comes by with Kanaya almost every day. Porrim is a very nice troll."

"Yes, she is," Jane says softly. "You don't - you don't have to hide in here, Callie. We won't let the trolls do anything to you."

Callie's bottom lip trembles. "I have so many emotions now - it gets so confusing. And I thought - I mean I look like them - I thought they'd like me. But only Porrim wants anything to do with me. And -- " Green tears start trickling down her face. "I wanted to look like this for so long, so badly, and now that I do -- it just makes the trolls hate me and Roxy scared of me and --"

She starts sobbing. 

Jane reaches out and hugs her again. "Ssshh, it's okay," Jane whispers rubbing her back. "Just let it out."

Callie's claws bite into Jane's sweater as she clings. "I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Don't be," Jane tells her. She wishes she had the right words to say to make things better. To make it right. But she's tried and sometimes wants to break down and cry too. Some days it takes everything she has to keep everything balanced and keep Dirk and Jake from ruining everything with their short sightedness. It makes her want her dad. 

Jane doesn't have any answers, because she's just a dumb sixteen year old. So she just hugs Callie. 

Callie gradually calms down, her sobs quieting. Jane starts to draw back from the hug, when she hears someone at the entrance to the hall. 

"Callie?" Rose asks. 

The little girl is rubbing her eyes and looking concerned. 

Callie wipes her eyes on her sleeve and smiles at Rose. "Hello, Rose. Did you have a bad dream?"

Rose shakes head and crosses the floor to Callie, dragging her toy cat behind her. She climbs up into Callie's lap and pats her face. "Why are you sad?"

"It's complicated," Callie tells her. 

Rose frowns and tilts her head to the side. "Oh." She looks over at Jane, her little forehead wrinkling. "Did you make Callie sad?"

Jane bites the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling. Rose looks so serious, it's incredibly adorable. "Sort of, but I didn't mean to. I was hugging her to make her feel better."

Rose considers this then nods. "Okay, long as you made it better," she says. "Dirk's making momma feel better with hugs too." Then she puts her thumb in her mouth and cuddles up in Callie's arms.

It's always a little strange to Jane hearing little Rose call Roxy mom or momma when the other children just use their names, but if it makes sense in Rose's head she can't argue with it. "I should probably get home - with both me and Dirk gone Jake probably still doesn't have the kids in bed."

Callie manages a soft laugh. "Jake isn't the best at saying no is he?"

Jane shakes her head and sighs. "No he's not." She leans over and hugs Callie briefly. "If you ever need to talk, just come find me, okay? And in case no one's said it yet - thank you for all the help getting the winter things ready for the kids."

"Alright," Callie agrees, then smile shyly. "I was happy to help."

"Feel free to kick Dirk out at anytime," Jane tells her as she gets to her feet. "Night, Callie. Night, Rose."

Rose waves sleepy from Callie's lap. 

"Good night, Jane," Callie calls.

Jane steps back into the cold night. She tucks her hands under her arms and starts walking towards the house she shares with Dirk and Jake. 

She'll talk to Jake and Dirk - once the kids are in bed and Dirk is home - because the situation with Callie can't go on like this. She's one of them and it's time they start treating her like it. 

It starts to snow as Jane reaches the house.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cronus freaks out inwardly about the future. Meenah freaks out outwardly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Universe-c

The lake has frozen almost halfway over.

As if by mutual, but silent, agreement Cronus and Meenah don't talk about it. Nor the fact they're able to catch less and less fish. Cronus isn't sure if they've just depleted the fish population or if it's because the fish are going somewhere due to the cold. They have better luck going deeper into the lake, but Cronus fears it’s a stopgap at best.

What if the lake freezes over completely? 

What if he and Meenah stop being able to feed the village? 

Supplies are already stretched thin and fish is the only food source they've been really able to depend on. Cronus really wishes they'd all gotten their shit together months sooner - not that they have their shit together now.

He's seen the sad set of Kankri face when Karkat begs for something, anything other than fish to eat. He's seen the despairing look in Jane's eyes when she talks about rationing what they do have in supplies. 

Jake confided in him that he's running out of ammo for hunting and even between Horuss and Dirk they don't have a way of making more.

Rufioh found Damara's hive abandoned a few days ago when he went to check on her and bring her food. There'd only been a note to save the food for the children. Meenah thought Damara went to join Kurloz - Rufioh just set his jaw and looked away. Yeah, Rufioh's never going to forgive Meenah for breaking Damara. 

Cronus wonders if Meulin will be the next one to just disappear into the trees. If they all will do that eventually. 

Would he abandon Kankri and the children just to survive himself? 

Maybe that's why this afternoon he and Meenah are watching Eridan and Feferi play on thick ice instead of pulling in fish. The kids wanted to go swimming, but Cronus isn't chancing Eridan in water so cold and Meenah seems to feel the same way. 

Feferi and Eridan are enchanted by the ice. It reminds Cronus of the day after the first snow. For the kids it was nothing more than something new to play in and with. 

Cronus has his hands in his pockets watching Eridan and Feferi peering through the ice into the dark water. There's high pitched giggles and chirps when they see a fish.

Meenah is quiet beside him. She more withdrawn these days, responsibility sitting heavy on shoulders that never wanted it. 

"Wanna run away?" Meenah asks out of nowhere.

Cronus looks away from the kids to stare at her. "Vwhat?"

"Maybe Damara had the right idea for once." Meenah shrugs her shoulders, her eyes never wavering from where she watches Feferi. "We gather up Fef and Eri, swim down to the ocean. Bound to be more food and shell, bet the water is warmer."

"I'm not leaving Kankri and Karkat," he says without having to think. "I'm not -- Meenah, vwhat the hell?"

"I'm not sure I can do this," Meenah says softly. "This is hard, Cronus. I ran away from this. Sea puns aren't even _fun_ anymore"

Cronus isn't even angry with her. He's just - tired. "Running avway again gonna somehowv fix that?"

"It'll give Fef a fair chance," she tells him. 

"Vwe're not going to run out of food," Cronus says firmly, though he doesn't completely believe it. "The vwigglers vwon't go hungry." 

Cronus already knows he's prepared to do a lot of things to keep Eridan and Karkat fed. He wonders if Meenah's had the same thoughts - if it scares her too. 

Meenah's silent. He takes her hand and kisses the inside of her wrist, feeling where her pulse hammers out a jagged rhythm. 

"You'd abandon Aranea?" he pushes. "You think I could do the same vwith Kankri? Vwtih Karkat? Hell, vwith Gamzee even?"

Meenah finally looks at him. She looks scared. She fought Lord English and she didn't look scared. "Leaving is better than --"

There's a sharp panicked screech from Feferi. Meenah is moving out onto the ice before Cronus can register what's going on. Feferi is clinging to Eridan, pointing at the ice looking like she's just seen a horrorterror.

Cronus follows on Meenah's heels.

He gets the children just after Meenah and in time to hear Feferi's panicked words.

"There's something under the ice!" Feferi wails. "It's going to eat us! It's going to - "

Meenah picks Feferi up quickly. The little girl wraps herself around Meenah, sobbing into her shoulder. "Shoosh, gull, shoosh," Meenah coos. 

"I saw it, I saw it," Feferi cries. "It's got beaks and too many limbs and -- and --"

Eridan is looking up with wide scared eyes. 

Cronus kneels down. "Eri, vwhat did you tvwo see?" he asks gently.

Eridan climbs up into Cronus arms. "Nothing," he whispers. "There wwas a fish and then Fef started crying and screaming." He sounds scared and worried.

Meenah is rocking Feferi gently, papping her back and shooshing her. "I'm going to take her home."

Cronus nods and stands up holding Eridan. 

"Wwill Fef be okay?" Eridan asks.

Cronus paps his back gently. "Yeah, chief, she'll be fine. Just got spooked is all. The lake is dark and the fish here look strange."

Eridan makes a soft little chirp and his ear fins flare just a little. 

"Let's go see Kankri and Karkat, hey?" Cronus suggests.

He gets a little nod of agreement. Cronus carries Eridan across the ice and puts the lake and its dark depths behind them.


	14. Chapter 14

The hive is dark and silent. 

Kankri walks the halls like he's sleepwalking. Something draws him to Karkat's block. 

Everything feels fuzzy, out of sync. He hasn't felt like this in a very long time.

It's --

He stops in front of Karkat's block and hesitates before he steps in the door. 

There's -

There's bright red blood everywhere.

How can there be - how can there be so much --

Kankri opens his mouth but nothing comes out. Nothing that sounds like his voice. 

The voice is accented differently, deeper, older -

His but not his.

He doesn't see Karkat or Gamzee.

But he sees himself - no -no that's not him -

It's -

A figure wrapped in gray kneeling amongst the blood. He clutches a tiny broken figure covered in that bright candy blood...

A child so young they only just lost their grub legs.

A female figure curls around the one in gray.

Kankri blinks and the world sharpens. There's no trace of blood.

He's clutching a clicking and chirping Karkat to his chest, kneeling by the side of the children's pile. Gamzee is staring with impossibly wide eyes, his skinny form shaking. 

Karkat pats Kankri's face. "It's okay. Don't cry, Kankri," Karkat whispers. 

"I - I'm sorry," Kankri's voice shakes. He has no memory of getting from the doorway to here. 

Gamzee crawls over and half embraces Karkat, half embraces Kankri. "Didja up and have a bad dream?" he asks. 

Kankri manages a nod. "Something like that. I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," Karkat whispers again. "Me and Gamzee have bad dreams too."

Gamzee nods. "Ain't nothing in dreams that can get its hurt on to you," he says. "Not if you don't let it. That's what Meulin always up and told me."

"Meulin is a very smart troll," Kankri concedes. The boys are bigger than the small broken body he saw. There's no way they'd ever become that. It centers him. 

"Maybe we could read?" Karkat suggests. "You read to us when we have bad dreams."

Kankri nods. "That sounds like a very good idea. What shall we read?"

Gamzee gets up and scrambles across to the small pile of books against one wall. He pulls one out and presents it to Kankri. 

Kankri settles down in the small pile with both boys burrowing against him and starts to read. 

He won't tell Cronus about this.

No reason to worry him.


	15. Chapter 15

The children are napping when Jane enters the building that serves as a schoolhouse/daycare. Kankri and Porrim are talking quietly at one side of the room near the fireplace. Jane bites her bottom lip then squares her shoulders. Considering her suspicions, putting off asking won't help anyone.

She steps out of her boots to keep from tracking snow across the floor. 

Porrim looks up and smiles at her as she draws closer. "Jane, this is a surprise. Come sit down and get warm."

Kankri is chewing on his bottom lip in a way Jane is sure will draw blood. She really hopes she hadn't interrupted anything. 

"Thank you," Jane says, sitting in one of the chairs by the fire. She pulls off her brightly colored mittens and flexes her cold fingers. "How are the children today? I hope Dave and Robin haven't been making problems with their toy swords. They haven't wanted to let go of them since Dirk made them."

Kankri smiles a bit at that. "It's Jade actually that won't let go of hers, except to Karkat for short periods of time. She's sleeping with it at the moment."

Jane laughs softly. "I'll see if I can get them to leave the toy swords at home tomorrow."

"Did you just come to check to make sure the swords weren't causing problems?" Porrim asks. There's a look in her eyes like she suspects Jane is here for other reasons.

And well Jane is here for other reasons. She's just not sure how to go about asking. She bites her lip and tries to collect her thoughts. "There is something. As one of the life players I know I'm sort of the resident medic," she starts. She twists her mittens in her hands, trying not to look at Kankri. "And with all the couples its bound to come up sooner or later? I think? I don't know - I know how humans work, but I don't quite how trolls work and --"

She trails off.

Kankri is a bright red and looks more than a little uncomfortable. 

Porrim raises a delicate eyebrow. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

Jane blushes. "Reproduction," she says. She keeps her eyes fixed on Porrim. "Considering one of my abilities is to sense life - I don't want to accidentally be asking someone if they're pregnant if its impossible."

Kankri makes a soft noise of distress and gets to his feet. "I - this is more your area of expertise Porrim. I'll let you explain and I'll -- Cronus -- I'll go see how the fishing is going."

Jane watches him abscond, then looks back at Porrim. "I'm sorry - "

Porrim holds up a hand to cut off her apology. "Kanny is very - sensitive about this issue. You couldn't have known that."

Jane starts to apologize again then bites her tongue. "If it is taboo to talk about I won't push," she tells Porrim. "We just have our hands so full with the children already here -- "

"No, I understand your worry," Porrim says, smoothing her dress. "But it is very unlikely that there will be any new eggs or grubs."

"I don't understand - I mean there are quite a few male and female pairings," Jane says, wrinkling her forehead. "Or does gender not matter with troll reproduction."

"It doesn't matter. Normally trolls reproduce through the mother grub. As a Jade blood my caste responsibility was caring for the mother grub and the eggs she produced. At ten sweeps all trolls are expected to start contributing genetic material with their matesprit and kismesis -if they have them- to the mother grub," Porrim explains as she was lecturing from a textbook or from rote memory. "From that combined genetic material a new generation of trolls is produced. Once the eggs hatch the grubs are chosen by a lusus which will raise them. Typically outside of contributing genetic material we have very little to do with the actual reproduction and raising of grubs."

Jane already knew that trolls didn't raise their own children. It had come up when they all first arrived at the village and the adult trolls were at a loss as what they should do with the children. Still, it sounds so impersonal and, well, alien. "You said typically?"

Porrim gives her a half smile. "The Empress carries the Heiress egg and raises her. Meenah was carried and raised by Empress Feferi."

"Feferi? Wow, that must be a little trippy for Meenah," Jane says. She can't imagine raising a child with, say, her father's name. But she guesses she is kind of raising her grandfather. 

Porrim nods. "I suspect she's had some problems overcoming her instincts with Feferi. Tyrians are very territorial. Most Empresses wait until late in life to produce an heiress because they must have great control over their impulse to eliminate another Tyrian."

Jane's eyes go wide. "You mean Meenah could have killed little Feferi?" she gasps.

"Aranea or I would have intervened if we thought it would come to that," Porrim assures her. 

"But still -- " Jane twists her mittens more and sighs. "Okay, putting that aside of a moment - then all trolls are capable of carrying their own young? Or just Tyrians?"

Porrim visibly hesitates, looking towards the door Kankri had absconding through. "It isn't something we talk about. It's one of our culture's major taboos."

Jane sort of wants to abscond herself, but she stays put. "But it can and does happen? Things normally aren't taboo because they never happen."

Porrim sighs and nods. "You are correct. I, personally, think it should have been something we talked about. The fact that it was acceptable for the Empress to personally carry an egg, but not for anyone of a lower blood to - we weren't quite as progressive as we liked to think we were. Especially not in how we treated those that broke that taboo or the grub that hatched."

Jane is quiet for a moment. "This sounds -- personal to you."

Porrim doesn't speak for a long while and Jane almost excuses herself and leaves. But just before she does, Porrim starts to speak. "Someone very dear to me had a very bad start in life because of those prejudices." She pauses for a moment. "For a troll to be able to form an egg they must have retained their partner’s genetic material inside of them inside of expelling it. It doesn't always result in an egg being produced, but when it does -- the world was not kind to that troll. They were often abandoned by their matesprit and kismesis, sometimes by their moirail as well if they didn't rid themselves of the egg early on."

Jane bites her bottom lip. "What happened when the egg was uhm laid?"

Porrim bowed her head a little. "Often times it would be abandoned and never hatch. There are cases where the egg was allowed to hatch and the wiggler raised until it lost its grub legs. Then the child would be abandoned maybe in hopes a lusus would take it in or someone with a softer heart would find it."

"Thank you for telling me," Jane says, wishing she'd never brought any of it up. "I - I'm sorry if I upset you."

Porrim reaches out and pats Jane's hand. "These are things that need to be talked about," she tells Jane. "Jane, Kankri is very dear to me - we were raised side by side by my lusus - please tell me if there is something I should know about him."

Jane gets to her feet and ducks her head. "I can't tell what isn't mine to tell," she whispers. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Porrim says gently. 

Jane stuffs her feet in her boots, pulls her mittens back on, and flees into the cold.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a shorter chapter than most.
> 
> Beta by inktail and zahhaked

"I've seen a dragon before," Terezi protests and no one corrects her use of 'seen'.

"This one is bigger than anything you've ever seen," Jake says.

Karkat listens in rapt attention as Jade's lusus - guardian - whatever, speaks. Jake knows a lot of things, about the woods, about monsters. Karkat sometimes gets jealous that Jade has such a capable ancestor slash guardian (though sometimes he remember things like that Jade is Jake's ancestor and it just confuses him). 

Jake has Jade in his lap, a prized spot during this storytelling session.

Today, he's telling the assembled wigglers about the dragon that lives in the woods. Gamzee clings to Karkat's hand throughout it all.

"My lusus was a dragon," Terezi pipes up again. "She was nice."

"This dragon isn't so nice and wouldn't hesitate to eat you all up. It has red scales and gleaming white teeth," Jake tells them. "It comes down from the mountain in winter to find better hunting grounds."

"But all the animals are hibernating," Tavros chirps.

Jake nods. "But not all of them, and it's better hunting than up on his or her mountain."

"You go hunting in the woods," Jade pipes up.

"That's because I'm older and bigger than you lot, I can handle a dragon," he assures them with a grin.

"An' Meulin," Gamzee puts in. "I bet she can up and take any kind of beast."

"I bet she could," Jake agrees. "But you little ones need to stay out of the woods, alright? Leave the dragon hunting up to us grown ups."

Jade frowns looking up at Jake. "But I'm a witch. I can handle a dragon."

Karkat bets she could, and nods. "And I'm her knight. We could defeat it."

Jade smiles and ruffles Jade's hair. "I'm sure you could when you're older. But right now, the woods are off limits."

When Jake's gone they all talk about the dragon and the woods. 

"I think he made it up," John reasons. 

Robin agrees with a nod. "Yeah, the adults would have killed it by now."

"It's probably not really a dragon," Eridan says, looking up from his drawing.

Jade frowns at them all. "Jake wouldn't tell a fib."

"Maybe we should leave it some food and it'll be nice," Tavros suggests.

Karkat shakes his head at them all. "We should just stay out of the woods whether there's a dragon or not."

Gamzee shifts at his side then tugs his hand. "Kurloz is up in those woods," he says. "What if there is a dragon?"

Jade bounds over and gives Gamzee a hug. "I'm sure Kurloz can handle a dragon."

Karkat nods and hugs Gamzee too. "Don't worry about it, Gamzee. If there was a real danger the adults would take care of it."

But Gamzee keeps the worried look on his face until Kankri comes to take them home. That night curled in their pile Gamzee whispers, "I wish I could go out and up and find him. Bring him home."

Not knowing what to say, Karkat squeezes Gamzee's hand. 

"I miss him an' I miss livin' with Meulin and Nepeta," Gamzee whispers into the darkness.

"You'll get to again, soon," Karkat tells him and really hopes he's telling the truth.

***

Cronus stares at the meager catch of fish he and Meenah brought in for the day and shakes his head. "Vwe aren't going to be able to go on like this much longer," he says to Meenah.

"Shell, you don't think I know that," Meenah sighs. She's frowning, her jaw flexing as she stares down at their catch.

He runs his fingers through his damp cold hair. "Vwe could ration out to the vwigglers first," he suggests. It's all he can think of to make this better. Unless the hunting goes really well today, this is all they have. 

Sure, there are some other foodstuffs stored away, but fish has been the big part of their diet since getting here. 

Meenah's shoulders tense. "Let's just get this to the smoke house and figure out water we do later."

He steps nearer and curls an arm around her shoulder. "Vwe'll be okay," he lies.

She snorts. "You're a terrible liar, Ampora." She manages a smile. "Always were."

He manages to grin back at her. "Least I got you to smile," he says, a little proud of himself.

She snorts again. "You're the worst moirail."

Cronus holds his hands up. "Hey, didn't even cop a feel, Princess."

Meenah elbows him, gently, for that.

He laughs because at least they still have time and energy for things like this. He worries if this winter drags on too long they won't have time or energy for anything but bare survival.

They're halfway to the smokehouse when Cronus spots a figure coming out of the food, dragging something. He blinks, then realizes it's Meulin. 

And she's dragging several somethings, with something slung over her back.

Cronus and Meenah wind up being the last to get over to her. The cat girl is smiling proudly at everyone. "I heard we needed more meat," she says overly loudly. She smiles brightly at Horuss. "You can make it so it all keeps?"

Horuss nods. "We can smoke most of it."

Jake whistles in appreciation. "Quite a catch."

Cronus looks her over. She covered in blood, but she looks proud and satisfied. 

She catches Cronus' eye and gives him a smile that's all teeth. "My Gamzee and Nepeta won't go hungry," she says pointedly. 

"No, svweetheart, they vwon't," Cronus agrees. "You did good."

But she's ignoring him already, turning her attention to Horuss and little Nepeta. 

Something like guilt sits in the back of Cronus' throat. Because maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe he shouldn't have treated her like part of the problem. 

But, at least there will be food on the table for a while longer.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the children have a sleep over and a plan is formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter again.
> 
> Beta: bonez1925

Karkat tugs at Kankri's pants leg and looks up with the most beseeching eyes.

"No, you can't have more honey tonight," Kankri says, patting Karkat's head affectionately. "It wouldn't be fair."

Karkat tilts his head to the side then shakes his head. "No, no! Jade! Can Jade stay?"

Kankri frowns for a moment. "Karkat, we've talked about this, her brother would be sad if she came and lived with us. As would Jake."

A little foot gets stamped on the floor and Kankri almost laughs at Karkat's adorably frustrated face. "No!" He stamps his foot again. "Can she stay the night?"

"The night?" Kankri echos. He's not so sure about that. That would make four wigglers under his roof and Cronus is on patrol tonight.

"Please?" Karkat asks, tugging at Kankri's pants again and then his sweater.

Jade comes bounding around the corner (clearly having been listening), with Gamzee, then Eridan on her heels. "We'll be good!" she promises.

She traces a cross over her heart with her fingers. Gamzee copies her in a more drawn out fashion and for a moment reminds Kankri too much of Kurloz making a similar gesture. Quickly he shakes himself out of it, not wanting the little ones to see him uneasy. 

"I'll be extra good," Eridan promises. "Evven better than them."

Kankri laughs at that and then sighs at the circle of children around him. "I don't know. You've already spent the whole day together and had dinner together."

"Please?" All four of them intreat him.

With another sigh, Kankri gives in. He can never say no for long to Karkat anyways. Or Eridan for that matter. "I'll speak with Jake when he comes for Jade. If he says no that's the end of it, alright?"

They nod eagerly. Jade catches up Gamzee and Karkat's hands and half drags them out of the kitchen already laying out plans for their 'sleep over'. 

"We'll sleep in front of the fire place, and play games, and tell stories, and stay up ALL night," she babbles on excitedly. 

"Let's build a fort," Eridan suggests.

He gets a beaming grin from Jade for the idea. 

"Yes! A fort to defeat dragons from!" She says delighted.

Karkat nods. "It'll need a brave knight."

"An' a wwizard," Eridan chirps.

Gamzee doesn't add anything, at least not that Kankri can hear after they've left the room.

Leaning back against the counter Kankri wonders what he's gotten himself into.

***

Karkat wakes to the sound of whispering. The slowly dying fire cast dim light over the room, but Karkat doesn't need the light to see Gamzee or Jade. He's lying between them (and he can see Eridan's horns just on the other side of Jade) as they whisper over him. He closes his eyes again, for a moment content just to drift back to sleep.

Then his ears prick at the words "dragon," "woods," and "Kurloz". 

Opening his eyes again, he turns his head slightly to look at Jade who seems to be doing most of the whispering. 

"We're not supposed to go into the woods," he whispers.

Jade stops and frowns at him like he's the biggest spoil sport ever. "But it’d be an adventure, a REAL one." 

He frowns back at her. "Jake said no adventures," he reminds her. He doesn't want to do any adventures. It's cold outside and Kankri is trusting them to be good. Karkat doesn't want to let Kankri down. "Why'd we want to go into the woods anyways?"

Jade gets up onto her knees, eyes bright and eager. "We could find the dragon and defeat it!" she whispers excitedly. "And - and --"

"Maybe we could up and find Kurloz," Gamzee adds. 

Karkat blinks and turns his head towards Gamzee. His best friend looks solemn, but serious. Reaching out Karkat paps Gamzee's face softly. Gamzee curls a hand around Karkat's.

"It sure be making Meulin happy. And maybe me an' Nepeta could live with them again," Gamzee goes on.

"Don't you like living here?" Karkat whispers, his chest feeling tight.

"Best friend, that got nothing to do with it," Gamzee protests.

Karkat wants to argue the point, but Jade breaks in. "I think the dragon is why Kurloz had to go away."

That doesn't sound completely right. Karkat is pretty sure Kurloz did something _wrong_...

"If we go find the dragon and destroy it, maybe we'll find Kurloz too. Then everyone will be happy," Jade insists. 

Shaking his head Karkat protests, "But dragons are dangerous!"

Jade gives him a strange look. "We've defeated things more dangerous than dragons," she says with a conviction in her voice that makes Karkat feel uneasy. 

Her words and her tone tug at memories he doesn't want to look at. Things that creep into his dreams. Things he wants to never remember. 

Sitting up, Karkat looks from Jade to Gamzee then back again. "I -- " 

Gamzee hooks his chin over Karkat' shoulder. "You gotta be helping us, best friend. You’re our knight."

Something feels shaken loose inside him, but he slowly, finally, nods. "Okay."

Eridan lifts his head up. "You'll get in trouble," he hisses.

Jade turns her head to scowl at him. "No one said you had to come. Just don't tattle!"

Eridan sits up and crosses his arms over his chest. "You can't just leavve me behind! You'll need my magic," he protests.

"Then quiet about us getting in trouble. No one will care once we defeat the dragon," Jade tells him.

Karkat hisses at them both. "Don't fight. We need to make a plan before we go. We'll need to sneak out of the village first."

Eridan nods at that and shuffles closer. 

Jade smiles. "Okay, fearless leader, what's the plan?"

Taking a deep breath Karkat starts laying out a plan that he hopes will work. If things go right, the adults will never know they were gone.

***

Snow is falling steadily when Cronus gets in from the night patrol. The hive is quiet, the living room empty, but for abandoned blankets and pillows. The sight shakes something in Cronus, though he's tired and cold. He checks Karkat and Eridan's rooms, only to find them empty.

But he doesn't panic until he finds Kankri sleeping alone.

He reaches Kankri quickly, shaking him wake. "Wvhere are the wvigglers?"

Kankri stares blankly back at him, still half-asleep. "In the living room?"

When Cronus shakes his head, the dawning horror in Kankri's eyes is almost worse than the blankness he wore when Kurloz had him. Cronus only knows one thing for sure.

Eridan, Karkat, and Gamzee are missing.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta: eleutheria-has-won  
> A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful feedback and comments!

Somewhere between unconsciousness and the waking world, Karkat drifts. It's warm here, and safe. 

_WAKE._

He curls into himself. No.

Waking up is bad. Waking up means cold, and fear, and pain.

_OPEN YOUR EYES._

Harsh, biting cold starts to seep into his corpsemeat. Karkat sobs. Why can't he just sleep?

_CHILD OF BLOOD, YOU MUST OPEN YOUR EYES._

"Karkat," it sounds like Gamzee and Jade's voices all mixed up together. They both sound frightened though.

He doesn't want them to be frightened alone.

It takes all the energy he has, but slowly he opens his ganderblubs.

His first sight is purple.

There are strong arms around him, carrying him. For a moment, he panics, squirming and struggling weakly. This isn't Kankri. This isn't Cronus.

_BE STILL. YOU ARE SAFE._

_Kurloz,_ he realizes. He stops struggling and weakly tries to turn his head. It's even colder now and he shivers so hard it hurts.

There's a troll all in grey walking just ahead. He's carrying Jade -- Karkat can see her hair hanging down. 

"Kar?" Eridan says questioning and scared.

Karkat tries to answer, but he can't force out words. He chirrs weakly instead.

Eridan chirps in response, followed by a slightly deeper chirr from Gamzee. 

"It's alright, little ones," the troll in grey says. "We'll soon have them both dry and warm."

Dry and warm sounds nice. 

Karkat's eyes shut without his approval, but he's just so tired. But why is he wet? Why is he so cold?

 _Oh._ He remembers. There was -- there was ice and then water and then cold. 

Then there was darkness eating at him.

He's so tired.

Unconsciousness takes him again.

***

Jane watches Jake leave to join the search party, his face grim and a little scared. She's a little scared too. Okay, more than a little scared.

They don't know how long the children have been gone. Or if they even left on their own. 

Meulin found their tracks leaving the village, and she insisted it was just the tracks of the children, but...

Jane shakes her head. No, she isn't going to be paranoid and start attributing dark motives to others. Meulin is just as worried for Gamzee as Jane is for Jade. Kankri, when she saw him, had been beside himself with guilt, shame, and fear. She hadn't been able to read Cronus' face really, but there had been something sharp and dangerous in his eyes that made her want to flinch back.

Jake -- Jake she'd heard say something to Dirk about it being his fault. Something about the stories he'd been telling the children. But she hadn't wanted to eavesdrop, not really.  
Then there's Dirk. Dirk who's already blaming the trolls with every other breath.

"We should have never left the other village," Dirk snarls softly, almost to himself. 

She know he wants her to hear him though, but she does her best to tune him out. Instead she listens for any sign of the John, Dave, or Robin waking up. Shit, she doesn't even know how they're going to tell the boys Jade is missing. 

"If it weren't for the trolls --"

Jane exhales sharply. "Shut up."

Dirk stops mid sentence. "You got something to say to me, Janey?"

"You heard me, shut up," she snaps. "You aren't helping anyone with that bullshit and you know it."

Dirk thrusts his chin up. "I'm only saying what's true."

"No, you’re only saying what will make you feel like you were right! What does it matter if you were right? That doesn’t make Jade any less missing!" she points out sharply. "And if it hadn't escaped your notice, Dirk Strider, there are _three_ troll children missing."

She can't even be sure if Dirk is looking at her behind his shades. 

“Do you think Kankri is happy about this? Or Cronus? Or maybe Meulin?" she goes on. "Do you imagine the search party is for what? Show?"

Dirk noticeably turns his head away from her.

She takes a deep breath before she does or says something she'll regret later. "I'm going to go see if Porrim needs help with Kankri."

He doesn't even nod in acknowledgement. Dirk just walks from the room back towards the bedrooms.

Jane doesn't follow. She puts on her outside winter things and heads out into the cold.

***

Kankri can't believe his oculars when he sees, through the window, the search party -- when he sees Cronus -- return without the wigglers. He's out the door into the heavy snow before Porrim or Jane can stop him. He can hear them call his name. The worried strain in Jane's voice, and the almost-trill in Porrim's as they call out, "Kanny!"

"Where are they?" he demands of Cronus, only half aware that Rufioh, Jake, and Meulin are there as well. 

Cronus' eyes look wet and hard at the same time. "Kan," he starts, then stops with a choked off growl.

Rufioh clears his throat. "We found signs of them," he says, then holds something out. "But..."

"The river," Meulin says slowly. "The ice broke under their feet."

Jake makes a wounded sound Kankri didn't think humans were capable of. "There were signs of animals, too."

Kankri barely hears them. He's staring at the object in Rufioh's hand, then at what Cronus is holding. Cronus has Eridan's stuffed Skyhorse. Rufioh is holding what has to be Jade's wooden sword.

His hand shakes as he reaches out and touches the stuffed toy Cronus holds (Cronus, who won't meet his gaze, Cronus, whose shoulders are slumped), then he snatches it back, shaking his head furiously. It's starting to snow again. The little ones can't be out in the snow another night. "No," he says softly, then more loudly. "No! You didn't look hard enough! I'll go --"

"Kankri!" Porrim snaps, her hand going firmly around his upper arm. "You can't."

Kankri shakes his head again. "We can't leave them out there!"

Jane's voice is softer, urgent. "Kankri, you have to think about your health -- you can't risk it."

"Fuck my health to spore rotting hell," Kankri spews.

Cronus touches his hand, but Kankri pulls away with a hiss. How could Cronus leave Eridan and Karkat out in the cold and the snow. And Gamzee and Jade...and...and...they were in his hive. They were under _his_ care.

He's shaking when Porrim's voice cuts through everything. "Kankri Vantas, I'm not letting you risk your egg!"

Everyone goes quiet, but for Meenah's soft curse of "shell". Quiet enough to hear when Kankri whirls around on Jane and demands. "Then get it out of me!"

Cronus is staring at him in horror.

Kankri takes a step back from them all. His vision goes blood colored. Everything around him looks awash with different colors of blood. His bloodpusher clenches in his chest and his stomach churns. No, not now. Not now.

Cronus reaches for him, his hands bright with different colors of blood (red, purple, violet - the children - their wigglers)- but it isn't Cronus, the scar is wrong, the way his mouth curves into a cruel smirk is wrong, everything is wrong.

Scrambling backwards, the world goes dark around the edges. Everyone looks wrong, everything is --

The darkness takes his vision completely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out the [ fan art tag](http://askaboutthevillage.tumblr.com/tagged/fan-art) on the ask blog for some wonderful fanart done by [](http://bonez1925.tumblr.com/>bonez1925</a>.)

**Author's Note:**

> Have questions about the verse? Drop me a line at my tumblr (http://askaboutthevillage.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Also check out the cute fanart bonez1925 did! (http://bonez1925.tumblr.com/post/63401290160)


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